


The Witch's Dragon

by loonierlovegood



Series: The Chronicles of Straith [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Endgame Prinxiety, F/F, Found Family, M/M, Minor Logicality, Nonbinary Character, Other, POV Female Character, POV Nonbinary Character, Pansexual Character, Prinxiety - Freeform, Roman Does Not Have A Stable Family And That Is When I Introduce My Found Family Trope, Trans Male Character, dead mother tw, logicality - Freeform, oh and abusive father, trans guy!patton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 15:04:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonierlovegood/pseuds/loonierlovegood
Summary: Virgil thinks she's got it all under control, that there's nothing her sorcery can't protect her from, until a magical force appears in Straith, threatening everything she holds dear. Roman wants to learn more about their mother-but in turn ends up neglecting their royal duties. And the Dragon Witch, Rafaela, is sitting on a secret from her past, one that might turn deadly.





	1. Rafaela

The princess stormed out of the castle, not caring who followed. She was a princess by chance, and a prisoner by the choice of others. Namely, her father, the king. How had everything gone so wrong?

She had told him that she was  _ touring _ . That his pretty little daughter would go travel the continent for the summer, and be back in time for marriage in the fall. She had lied to him, but it was an honest lie, for a very good cause.

Instead of travelling, Princess Rafaela had stayed within the bounds of her own country, helping people with the sorcery she’d worked so hard to cultivate. 

Going under the pseudonym of “Dragon Witch”, she placed ads in the paper, then began working, never accepting any sort of payment.

But, of course, once the King’s officials got word of this Dragon Witch, they had to put a stop to her business. After all, how would their subjects remain loyal to the king if they believed that magic could solve their problems? 

When the soldiers marched by, Rafaela had the misfortune of being there, disguised in her cloak and hat.

When they learned she was the princess, all hell broke loose. Whatever fragile social standing Rafaela had before her ‘tour’ vanished into thin air. 

The king offered her a deal. Two choices: reverse it all or never see the light of day again. It wasn’t  _ fair _ , but then again, the king was never fair. Yet he’d given her a choice. Some choice that turned out to be, self-sacrifice and her gone forever, staying in the deep depths of the castle until her bones rotted into dirt.She was going to choose banishment, exile. It hadn’t taken more than a second to decide, and Rafaela refused to compromise on her principles. Some would describe that as her best trait, her parents would describe it as her worst. There  _ was _ a backup plan, kicking up dust somewhere in the back of her mind, but she refused to ponder on it, rage overpowering everything.

Rafaela marched down the dirt path, not caring that her fine clothes were being ruined. They were but a pretty wrapper for her poisoned situation. She passed the familiar sights—the trees, the lake, the flowers—until arriving at the place that was more home than the castle had ever been.

A small cave, covered in vines and moss so that it was nearly invisible to the casual observer. She pushed back a curtain of woven plants and inhaled the familiar scent of dirt and flowers. There was her little cot, against the far wall, a stump next to it with a still-flickering orb of light resting atop it, drifting up and down. A wooden table, upon which sat her sorceric tools, wands and plants and devices galore, with a paper from a week ago. The Dragon Witch advertisement was proudly facing up.

If all went as planned, Rafaela would never see this place again in her natural lifetime. Her throat choked up as she thought about the little kitchen falling into disuse, the light orb fading into the darkness, and the vines outside slowly overgrowing the cave until even she wouldn’t find it.

She would be leaving everything behind. Rage built within her, and she hadn’t even gone further than the entrance. What was the point of going further? To cry, to mourn her own death. The emotions swelling within Rafaela became uncountable, wrapped up in each other like the cobwebs soon to build in the cave walls.

There had to be a spell for this. The words her tutors had repeated over and over came to mind: magic is about controlling emotions. Yet she couldn’t think of something that would get rid of this inferno within. Rafaela tangled her fingers in her brown locks and pulled, trying to distract herself from the pain within with the sharp sting against her scalp.

A new spell, then. She would have to see what happened, and hopefully wouldn’t be around to see if things went wrong. The princess stepped back from the cave, and raised her hands to point them at the entrance. The newspaper ad was still visible. Oh, how wrong this had gone.

Her fury amplified, emotions screaming at full volume into her ears. Rafaela took a second to focus, align herself with her power, then focused everything she had  _ out _ . It left in gasps and chunks, pieces of her hurt dispelling themselves into the cave. Home, and everything that had destroyed home.

Finally, she felt empty, like it was gone, over. She lowered her shaking hands, feeling a sense of calm sweep across her mind and body. Hot tears fell down her cheeks, and Rafaela wiped them away with a satin sleeve. Not sure what she’d done, and with a head too foggy to think about it, she cast a concealment spell on the cave.

“ _ If a stranger were to glimpse this vined encampment _

_ Yield to none but the witch who made thereupon enchantment.” _

She walked back to the castle, and informed her stepfather of her chosen fate. He sent her to have her hair bleached, to be fitted in the poorest of cloths. No one could know that the witch they were sentencing to death was also the princess.

They could not know of the words she uttered within the throne chamber. Or the child crying for her mother on the outskirts of town, her father pinching the bridge of his nose as he heard the celebrations. Sorcery would have to leave Straith, in the name of tyranny.


	2. Rafaela

A century had passed, and Rafaela had remained within her cell for most of the time. Her rescue was swift, four teenagers who took it upon themselves to right the wrong she created with her magic. The blond hair stayed, a constant reminder of the life taken from her.

Her imprisonment left the Dragon Witch with a fear of abandonment, little knowledge of the current world, and a spotty memory. 

One unusual memory had resurfaced, that of the cave. She had held on to her happy memories of times in the cave during the years in her cell, but the end had remained a mystery, a ghost hiding around the chambers of her mind. But the months in open air had brought snippets of her old home into the light, and Rafaela was sure she knew the path from the castle.

When she arrived, the vines parted for her. She stepped in, unsure of what lurked within. Something crouched in the corner, and looking at it jumped the memory into Rafaela’s head. The spell that wasn’t a spell, the anger, the deep azure of her dress. She illuminated the room with a light from her palm, and saw the thing twitch.

It was small and dark, and its presence sent chills racing up her spine. More than that, there was a certain familiarity attached to it, like a part of its darkness belonged to her. She tried to think of a spell to approach it, but any words died on her tongue. Trying to shake the feeling of familiarity, she looked around at the room.

There was no newspaper on the table like she remembered. She could have sworn there was a paper, her advertisement left prominently for her to see. The disappearance meant something bad, a foreboding thing that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Rafaela left the cave and hurried to the security of the castle, letting the dirt path disappear behind her.

What had she done, all those years ago? For once, Rafaela didn’t know what the answer to her sorcery problem was. She knew that magic arose from command over one’s emotions, rather than the opposite, yet what the then-princess had created was certainly magic. What kind, she didn’t know. Words couldn’t capture what Rafaela felt when she saw the creature in the darkness; it tugged on everything from her magic to her wish for home.


	3. Roman

Roman mussed their hair in the mirror. It was short, boy-short. They hadn’t gotten a choice in the matter after the coronation, the hairdresser whispering a brief apology before chopping away. It didn’t look right, and Roman itched to grow it out, but they knew that wasn’t an option.

A king, after all, had to look presentable. Long hair wasn’t presentable, no matter how much Roman happened to like it. Of course, nonbinary gender presentations weren’t presentable either, much to Roman’s chagrin. But right now, it didn’t particularly matter, because Roman was going to have lunch with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Or better defined as Roman’s friend—their first friend—and their closest confidante since Patton and Logan were busy with other things.Namely, running a bookstore, democracy, and each other. Roman trusted Virgil more than anyone else, in the castle and beyond. She had been with them since before everything. The grand adventure. The quest lost to the ages that saved the kingdom and returned magic to the nation. Virgil had introduced them to the wild world of adventuring-the first outside of Roman’s own mind. And, truth be told, there were feelings simmering beneath the surface of their conversations that Roman wasn’t equipped to handle.

Lunchtime every week was usually the only time they got to talk about anything other than business. Along with Rafaela, Virgil was running the shiny new Sorcery Department of Straith, and her path frequently crossed with Roman’s, although usually just for minutes at a time. She always needed signatures, a word of input, or persuasion, but their lunches together were the only time Virgil wanted Roman’s company.

For old time’s sake—it reminded them both of the stolen hours spent planning—they met in the library. They weren’t supposed to eat there, but being the king had its perks. Roman had a (trusted) cook bring them something small, and got to be away from responsibilities with Virgil. It was a calm oasis amidst the chaos of Roman’s life. Sixteen-year-olds were not well equipped to run a country, but Roman was doing their best.

Descending the stairs to the library doors, Roman unhooked the small gold crown from their hair and stuck it in their pocket. No one recognized them without a crown, the young ruler was finding, and they used that to their advantage when hiding from anyone that would want the king. Which turned out to be a great many people.

Roman flung open the doors to the library, making the pages of the librarian’s book flutter. He barely gave Roman a glance as they passed, probably not caring. Either he was too caught up in his book, or the librarian was accustomed enough to Roman practically living here to raise an eyebrow.

Virgil waited at their usual table, the one next to the window where sunlight always lit whatever you were reading. She had started on the sandwiches already, and a smile broke out on her face when Roman walked in. Her dragon, Laurus, snoozed on the nearby windowsill, sending up puffs of smoke with every exhale.

Sliding into the wooden seat next to her, Roman reached for the other sandwich. “Starting already?”

“You can’t expect everyone to wait for you, your majesty,” Virgil said, taking another bite out of her sandwich. Roman laughed.

“Didn’t expect you to, just thought it was unusual. You must be busy.” They unwrapped the sandwich, trying to distract themself with something other than Virgil’s face.

“I could say the same about you, but I’m more focused on this sandwich right now. What’s new in the life of a king?” She wanted to catch up with Roman; it had been too long since they’d last talked, and a hundred things must have happened since then.

“Just a lot of things, and they keep piling up. Kind of makes you miss running for your life, but at least it’s predictable. Like, if I tell someone this, my chief advisor will become furious, the cabinet will act scandalized, and everyone who doesn’t live inside this ancient pile of rocks will cheer. My dad massively sucked, but at least he prepared me, you know.” Roman started eating their sandwich, trying to repress the spark of bitterness about their dad. It was a sore subject, but being around Virgil always managed to loosen their tongue.

“Never thought I’d hear you say something positive about Epos,” Virgil said, quirking an eyebrow, “but I can’t imagine how hard being king would be without someone helping. I’ve got Rafaela, but you’ve got…” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it correctly.

“A lot of people who don’t trust me and treat me like I’m five? Yeah, but I’ve got you, Pat, and Logan. It balances out.” Roman tried to shrug it off, but the set of their features suggested that their predicament was troubling.

“Considering I’m actually losing sleep over the responsibility of like, restoring the entire reputation of sorcery, I have no idea how you’re alive,” Virgil said, reaching for one of the cups of water on the table. If there was one thing she could count on, it was self-doubt.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not sure how I’m surviving it all, quite frankly,” Roman said, shoulders slumping inwards. “I mean, I thought that after what, four months of this? I’d be used to the constant demands, the pressure, the crown. But every time I have to give a speech it feels like walking into the room with Epos to lie my way into the throne.”

Virgil sighed. “Remember when we thought I was going to break Rafaela out of prison with just my own powers? Those were simpler times.” She finished off her sandwich, picking a stray piece of lettuce off the paper to eat. “Still can’t believe you didn’t tell us until after we thought the whole world was going to end.”

“For the thousandth time, I’m sorry. But hey, the stress of being king is kind of karmic,” Roman reasoned, taking another bite of their sandwich. “This food is really good.”

“I know, it is. You should seriously give him a raise,” Virgil said, sadly looking at where her now-eaten sandwich once was.

“As a matter of fact, my financial advisor will give me a twenty-minute lecture on budgeting if I give anyone else a raise. I am limited to two raises a month, which I already spent on the calligrapher and the candle-lighter. So I’ll keep it in mind for next month,” Roman said, taking a long gulp of water. “Do you know how Logan and Patton’s plan is coming along?”

“They’re working on it, that’s for sure, but I really don’t know,” Virgil said, shrugging. “I haven’t seen them as much as I’d like to. Things with Rafaela have been…busy.”

“I feel you on that, honestly,” Roman said, “Obviously, I’m the king and getting the best of everything, which I’m reminded of every time I visit—” They were cut off by something loud. A rumble, warning.

Something shook the ground underneath them. Laurus jumped down from the sill. A rush of panic flooded over Roman, and they ran to the window.

Next to them, Virgil whispered, “Is that an explosion?” Her dragon cowered behind her, tail brushing her ankles.

A gray cloud hovered over a patch of the forest, with everything beneath it a muddy gray, like someone had coated the trees with concrete. The gray was stark against the snow-covered trees surrounding the cloud.Roman squinted at it. “What in the name of-”

Another rumble, and more liquid spewed from the same spot. The window frame shook under Virgil’s white-knuckled hands. Laurus’s tail clenched around her leg. She looked at Roman. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

They could hear people yelling outside, mostly in astonishment at what just happened. Nothing more happened, the cloud rooted in place above the desaturated trees. “Do—what do we do about it?” Roman asked, heart pounding in their chest. This was not supposed to happen.

“Let me contact Rafaela,” Virgil said, rolling back her sleeve to shoot a jet of magic at her purple bracelet. It buzzed back at her, and her brow furrowed. “Not available, and—”She tapped the bracelet. “—won’t let me track her.”

“Great. This is great. Just perfect. Couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Roman said, knowing that their break from reality with Virgil would have to end. “I should probably go, and talk with people. Let me know if you find Rafaela.” They had a sinking feeling that the explosion and Rafaela’s disappearance wasn’t a coincidence.

“I will, don’t worry,” Virgil said. Roman left the room, looking back at the mess they’d made at lunch. While they hated leaving things with Virgil like this, Roman only had so long before everyone started looking for them. They’d much rather that the entire castle staff didn’t find the king’s hiding place.

Roman slipped the small crown back into their hair and ran to the office, where there would no doubt already be people waiting for them. A teenager was definitely not the best choice for king, because Roman had no idea what to do about whatever was in the forest.


	4. Roman

Nobody seemed to know what to do about the situation at hand. Virgil managed to find Rafaela after a few hours, but she was unusually quiet on the subject, and offered no useful advice. Roman was dealing with everyone asking for a solution, which they couldn’t offer.

After the thousandth person they had to turn away, saying that everyone was working on a solution, Roman rather rudely slammed the door in the face of the next solicitor to their rooms. What were they supposed to do? Virgil and Rafaela had to be working their hardest to figure something out, but Roman had no idea. The explosion had happened hours ago, and Roman was as shocked as anyone else.

Trying to pressure their brain into some sort of solution, Roman took a seat at their desk. There had to be some way to fix it, or at least provide temporary peace. Of course, no solutions were becoming clear to Roman. Looking for a distraction, they scanned their desk. Perhaps a solution was there, just waiting to be found.

Yet there was something unusual there, that Roman’s own hands had not placed. While it wasn’t uncommon for there to be something there from a passing courtier or maid, this letter bore a seal that wasn’t Straith’s. It was familiar in some way, and Roman let all thoughts of the woods step away as they opened the paper 

_ From the Land of Canea _ , read the top of the letter. Their hands froze around the paper. How long had it been since someone had even mentioned their mother? Roman glanced at their red scarf, hanging from a coat hook. Straith had forgotten its former queen, but the current king had not. Filled with a sense of urgency, Roman read further.

_ Dearest Roman,  _

_ I am very pleased to see that you have taken the mantle of kingship in Straith. The news was shocking, but I believe that despite your youth, you have the capacity to be one of the greatest kings your nation has ever seen. Pleasantries aside, my reason for contacting you is that your father, Epos, is no longer ruling, due to your taking the throne and banishing him. I have heard conflicting stories about how this took place, although I hardly think that you took out twelve guards single-handedly on your way to the throne room. _

_ As it has been so long since these two branches of our family have had any contact, I would like for you to come visit Canea. I miss your mother, Madeline, to this day, and I would love for you to meet her family. I understand Epos’ policy following the death of my dear sister, but I am sad that it has kept us apart for so long. If you wish, I have arranged for my representative to remain in Straith for a week following this letter. They are staying outside the castle grounds, in a tavern called the Nag’s Head. Get your affairs in order, and they will gladly take you to Canea for as long as you wish. I hope it wasn’t difficult for them to get this letter to you. _

_ I am anxious to see you soon, and I hope that we can discuss your mother together.  _

_ King Markus, Ruler of Canea and Lover of Dogs _

Roman wiped a tear from their eye, not sure why it had appeared. Their instinct was, of course, to go. Pack a small bag of clothes, disguise themself as a peasant, and climb out the window. But…there were responsibilities, after all. Advisors who wanted a solution to the problem in the forest, one which Roman did not have. The letter had instructed that Roman get their affairs in order, but that would be a pain.

If there was one thing Roman was certain of, it was that their advisors, cabinet members and the like, would not want them to leave. So…well, it was easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission, after all.

They scribbled a quick note, addressed it to Virgil, briefly explaining why they were gone. Hopefully, she would think to check their desk. Roman grabbed a bag and shoved some various clothing into it, not caring too much. With another glance at the letter, they took the scarf off of the hook and wrapped it around their neck. Hopefully, their uncle get new clothes for Roman if they needed it, because they knew they hadn’t packed well.

When the bag was packed, Roman threw a cloak over their clothes. They didn’t want to change—it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for the king—and there was always the risk that the embassy wouldn’t recognize them in street clothes. For good measure, Roman slipped the note into their pocket, rubbing their thumb against the wax seal. They threw the small crown on the desk next to the letter.

A quick walk later, and Roman stood outside the Nag’s Head. They asked the front desk about a Canean representative, and the clerk checked to make sure no one was around before giving them the room number. Roman climbed the stairs to the second floor and knocked on the door, apprehensive.

Someone opened it; a short man with round black glasses and a permanently surprised expression. “Are you—are you Roman?” He was dressed in a very formal blue outfit, making Roman feel underdressed. The crest of the Canean royal family was proudly displayed on the uniform’s chest.

“Uh, yeah,” Roman answered, suddenly aware of how awkward they were. “That’s me. I um, got the letter.” They held it up, the blue Canea seal visible.

“Come in, come in. I’m Tyler, nice to meet you.” He offered a surprisingly firm handshake, and let Roman into the room.“So, we can leave as soon as you’d like, although if you need to fill up on anything or get special…“

“I’m fine with just, um, leaving as soon as possible. Is it just you?” Roman asked, glancing around. They really hadn’t thought this through, but Roman was positive that the sooner they left, the better. Tyler’s professionalism reassured them, though. 

“Yeah, just little old me. I mean, I could bring in more people if you want—“

“No, that’s fine. I just thought, you know, Canea is a big country, might be more people. It’s no big deal, though. So, what’s the transportation?”

“We’ve got a boat, and we just have to take the North River a ways before we’re in Canea. It’s about a half-day’s sail, and it’s quite pretty. Have you ever been on the North River before?” Tyler heaved a trunk out from the closet and took a glance around the room, eyes searching for anything out of place. Roman followed his gaze. It was immaculate—which impressed Roman, because Tyler had to have been staying there for at least a few days. “Let’s go.”

“Now? Like, now, now? Aren’t there like…things to do? Do I have to sign something?” Typically, a situation like this would be considered kidnapping if there was no clear sign that Roman had gone willingly. Roman learned that the hard way when they went on a hike with Virgil, Logan, and Patton one day, and they were rudely interrupted by Roman’s personal guard.

“You got your affairs in order, right? It should be fine, I know Straith can be a little more strict concerning royalty, but if any issues arise, Mark can just send a letter.”

With that, they left, and Roman kept their head down as they walked the short distance from the hotel to the river. Guilt was starting to pool in their stomach; it felt wrong to be walking away from everyone like this, just to sate their curiosity. But this was a chance to learn something about their mother, and there were other people who were much more qualified to lead a country within the castle. It would be fine, it would be fine.

Perhaps, they could even ask the king of Canea about how to deal with the problem in the woods. Considering it was magical, and Straith was just starting to get a handle on magic, Canea would probably know more. Roman knew that the citizens of Canea practiced magic more commonly, another reason for Straith to not associate with them in the past. They still didn’t know much about the circumstances of Epos and Madeline’s marriage.

They boarded the boat. It was, thankfully heated, and Roman felt comfortable taking off their cloak and looking out at the winter landscape. Tyler filled most of the conversation, perhaps sensing Roman’s unwillingness to talk. He narrated the cities on the banks of the river as their small, private boat passed the buildings. The beautiful sight helped keep Roman’s mind off of everything they were running away from, and let them ponder what exactly they were running  _ to _ .


	5. Patton

It was not the last explosion that day. Logan worried that it was driving away business after everyone cleared out of the bookstore to rubberneck at the commotion in the woods. Him and Patton reshelved after the third, trying to hide their creeping anxiety.

“I hope Roman and Virgil have a handle on it,” Logan said, looking out the window at people hurrying home.

Patton draped an arm around Logan’s shoulder. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t.” A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. “I should check on the orphanage, shouldn’t I? Reassure them or something.”

“It’s not like you need any more volunteer hours, Pat,” Logan said, burying his face in the crook of Patton’s neck.

“Yeah, but…I’m worried about them. They should be fine, but there’s always a chance that one of them went out in the woods,” Patton said, resting his head on Logan’s. “I feel bad just sitting here without knowing what’s going on, but I don’t want to get them worked up if I come in wondering if everyone’s ok.”

Logan didn’t answer, giving them both the time to think about what had just happened. While it didn’t seem like much, something about this thing in the woods made Patton feel like a storm was coming. The feeling in his gut was too familiar to the one he had when Logan showed him the prophecy and the words that had changed their lives forever.

Their thoughts were cut off by a blur of black and purple storming past the display window and through the doors, ignoring the CLOSED sign. Virgil stomped her feet on the mat, dislodging clumps of mud and dirt. She turned around and sat on the counter next to the cash register, not seeming to care about Patton and Logan’s shocked faces. Logan stepped towards Virgil, a second away from asking several burning questions. Patton continued looking on in shock as Laurus burst through the door after Virgil, jumped onto the counter, and curled up in her lap.

“We have to do something,” Virgil said. At Logan and Patton’s confused expressions, she elaborated. “Rafaela refuses to go near the woods, and I don’t have anywhere near her ability with sorcery, so it’s a dead end. She won’t even tell me why, and I can’t do anything about it. Roman’s advisors have been bugging me since yesterday, but Roman themself just can’t be bothered to give me the time of day. Everyone’s looking for them too, I’m worried.” She took a deep breath and stared at the floor. “I don’t know what to do.”

Well, that answered most of Logan’s questions. “Has anyone seen Roman? They usually come here when they get in an avoiding-people mood, but I haven’t seen them all day.” Logan walked over to the cash register and sat down. “What do we know about the explosion?”

“It’s sorcery of some sort, but I don’t know what it is,” Virgil said, throwing her hands in the air. “I put a protection spell around it, to contain it, but I don’t know how well it will hold up. I’m not very good at them yet. And, as always, no word from Roman.”

“Maybe—and I know they hate it—Roman could do a speech? To calm people down, or at least make an attempt,” Patton said, sitting next to Virgil on the counter. “I mean, there’s not really anything else to do if Rafaela can’t help, is there?”

“Well, we could figure out a way to stop it,” Logan suggested, already wondering if he had any books that would work.

“No, I don’t think we have time,” Virgil said, blond strands falling into her face as she shook her head. Laurus shook his head too, then sneezed a small jet of fire onto her pants. She looked at the singe mark, eyes darkening with sadness. “It’s getting worse by the day, and if Rafaela doesn’t know what it is, I don’t know how books will help. She knows more than just what’s in the books.”

“Speech it is, then,” Logan said. A shiver ran up his spine, a spark that usually came with sorcery. He shook it away. “Virgil, would you mind…?”

“I was going to be at the castle anyways,” she said, jumping down from the counter. Laurus followed her, choosing to sit in between her feet. “I’ll let them know that they need to let us know where they are more often—I hate chasing the king down.” Her scowl was soft, showing more concern than anger.

“See ya, then,” Patton half-sighed as Virgil left the shop in a blur, dragon on her tail. A few strands of purple magic danced inside the store before darting outside to join her.

“Alright, Roman and Virgil have that under control, I guess,” Logan said, spinning around in his chair. “Shall we go back to running a bookstore?”

“There’s nothing better to do, so I guess. I’ll go over to the orphanage after their speech,” Patton replied, sitting up on the counter so he faced Logan. “I think a new shipment came in that I’m dying to read.”

“Awesome, I’ll grab a copy too,” Logan said. Another shock trembled through his body, leaving Logan seeing black spots in front of his glasses. Magic, it had to be. The ground shook once again.


	6. Roman

Roman and Tyler’s journey went smoothly, the boat taking them down the peaceful river until they crossed into Canea. A small sign with jumping letters greeted them.  _ Welcome to the Magical land of Canea _ . The letters in “Magical” sparkled despite the many clouds in the sky. Magic lived here, and Roman’s heart jumped at the reminder of Virgil. Maybe they shouldn’t have abandoned her to solve the problem, but… 

If Roman brought home some new books and information about sorcery, along with a way to solve the problem in the woods, hopefully all would be forgiven. That was the goal.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Tyler asked, pointing at the small songbirds flying around a tree. Their metallic feathers glinted in the sun, flitting in perfect orbits around the spherical leaves of the tree.

“Yeah, is it sorcery?” Roman couldn’t imagine how else they weren’t running into each other, or drawing geometrically perfect haloes around the tree.

Tyler smiled, a wide grin that lit up his whole expression. “Yep. They’re something of an attraction; the guy who made them lives in a little cabin somewhere in those woods. Sometimes he comes out to tinker with them; they’re his finest creation.”

“That’s…wow.” Roman admired the birds until they fell out of sight, not knowing what to compare them to. “We don’t have anything like that in Straith, that’s for sure.”

“With any hope, you will in the future. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re re-integrating magic, right?” The trees passing reflected on his glasses, olive eyes watching the scenery go by.

“Yeah, my friend Virgil is actually helping with that. Her and, um, Rafaela. They’re leading the whole thing, anyways. It’s going well,” Roman said, resting their arms on the railing. “Although we’re not really using it for anything like art yet. Just stuff like efficiency, helping old people, and challenging biases. It was illegal for a hundred years, so there’s definitely still people who think it’ll kill them.”

“Oooooh, your friend Virgil? As in, the sorcerer who helped free the Dragon Witch?” Tyler asked, turning his focus to Roman. “I’ve read so many different stories since it happened, but I’d love to hear your version of it. It’s actually part of why I signed up to go to Straith, of all places.”

“Would you like an autograph as well?” Roman asked, the sharp sarcasm slipping out of their mouth before they realized their words.

Before they had a chance to take it back, Tyler said, “I think I’m good, I don’t collect autographs. I am intensely curious about what happened, though, so if you’re willing to tell me I’m all ears.”

“Sorry,” Roman said, “It’s a long story, but as long as you promise not to leak it to every paper in Canea, I’m willing to tell you.” Teenage awkwardness overtook whatever social skills Roman had left after a lifetime of isolation from any other kids their age.

“I promise,” Tyler said. He stepped away from the windows on the boat to the chairs, Roman following.

“Basically, it all started with this prophecy that’s been in Virgil’s family for generations,” Roman began, deciding on a whim that it was the best place to start. “She went to work at the bookshop that Logan’s parents run a few weeks before the prophecy said the apocalypse was coming for Straith, basically.”

“Oh, tell me more. I want to know what the prophecy was about.” Tyler listened as Roman recounted the whole of their adventure, reacting at all the right parts. The boat ride passed before they knew it, time flying by until they were getting off at Canea’s capital.

“So, when do I get to meet the king?” Roman asked Tyler, adjusting the straps of their backpack as they walked out of the small river port. It was an offhand question, one whose answer Roman didn’t particularly care about right now.

While it was a small port, the city within a city led into the vast capital of Canea. A description of Chanidy City jumped into Roman’s mind from their old textbook.  _ Chanidy City is full of magic and trade, a place where the wildest of Canea can gather without judgement. _

Clockwork creatures darted around the feet of pedestrians, their robotic movements never allowing them to collide. The stands sold things Roman recognized—food, clothes, animals—and things they did not. A man selling what looked like handheld flames had several sewn into his jacket, and they flickered as he moved his arm to wave at passerby. Tyler was saying something, but Roman was too entranced by everything here to pay attention.

There were animals Roman didn’t recognize, and they couldn’t help themself from gawking a little at an orange dragon the size of their fist blowing a flame onto a candle. A creature with four horns let out an ear splitting roar, struggling to be heard amongst the bustle of the market.

  
“Roman, Roman.” Tyler tugged at the hem of Roman’s sleeve until the young monarch turned back to their traveling companion.

“What? Did I miss something?”

“You’ve just been staring at everything and not listening to a word I’m saying,” Tyler said, waving a hand in front of Roman’s eyes as they turned to stare at marbles stacking themselves into a pyramid atop a merchant’s stall. “And I’m trying to tell you some important things. I know that this place is really overwhelming if you’ve never been here before, but you’re going to be absolutely lost when we get into the palace if you don’t know what’s going on.”

“So, what do I need to know?” Roman asked, trying to ignore the countless distractions assaulting them from all sides. A multicolored spiral appeared at the corner of their vision, and it was all Roman could do to not turn and look at it.

“The king isn’t available to talk to you for another couple of days, I’m afraid. He’s very busy. But in the meantime some of his advisors can show you around, even some who knew your mother personally. If you want, we don’t have to treat you as royal while you’re here. That was Mark’s idea, not mine. He thought you’d be more comfortable not being treated as royalty.”

“That sounds great,” Roman said, a small wave of relief washing over them. A break from all the titles and formalities was a definite perk. They hadn’t realized how much people used titles for a king until they were, well, king. Not to mention that, while they only got small tastes of not being treated like royalty with their friends, Roman could only imagine that it would be amazing full time.

“We’re almost to the palace,” Tyler said, looking at the stalls around him. “Follow me, closely.”

Roman obeyed, following Tyler as he wound around the businesses surrounding the palace until he reached a nondescript door on the side of the castle. Tyler fumbled in his pockets before procuring a key.

He opened the door for Roman. “You first. I think you’re supposed to get a tour from someone else. I’m going to get some rest, travel is exhausting. See you, Roman.”

“See you, Tyler.” Roman stepped through the door to find a red-haired girl in a purple dress that appeared to flutter as she moved, creating an illusion of wind in the low-ceilinged hallway.

“Nice to meet you, Roman, I’m Jessie.” She stuck out her hand to shake, and Roman noticed that her hair had changed from red to purple already. The ends turned blond as Roman closed the door behind them, and not for the last time that day Roman marveled at what magic could create.

They returned her handshake, although it was slightly awkward since Tyler was also trying to push past them at the same time.

“So, you’re supposed to be giving me a tour of the palace, right? That’s what Tyler said, anyways,” Roman asked, trying not to stare too much at her hair.

“Yep! I know this palace inside  _ and  _ out, and I’m probably the youngest staff member, so the king thought we’d get along. I know all the cool spots, just follow me,” Jessie said, walking down the corridor.

Roman followed close behind, trying to match her pace. She was a little taller than them, and obviously enthusiastic, cheerfully pointing out the pictures that lined the walls and where they were going. Roman was still a bit stiff from sitting in the boat, but they managed to keep close.

Eventually, the narrow hallway led way to larger rooms and grand spaces. The opulence of the palace was astounding; Roman was afraid to touch anything. Where Straith’s castle had lamps burning in every corridor, the lighting in Canea varied with every step you took. Some walls glowed, in one room miniature suns fixed themselves to ceilings covered in pinpricks of stars, an anglerfish swam around in the air through a lounge, and the gold accents of fabric wallpaper reflected the light of a windowless room.

In re-integrating magic to Straith, Roman wished they’d thought more about beauty. Though they could tell Jessie loved the palace by the way she spoke, her admiration of the magic within the palace felt too casual for such a spectacular place. Roman wanted to capture every part of it in a painting, the way the artworks moved and the sculptures could surprise you at any moment —becoming something else, breaking to reform, vanishing—how the people passing by all wore something magical. Jessie’s hair was in no way an anomaly as they passed through the halls Roman saw clothes that changed as the person moved from one floor to another, a tattoo whispering in someone’s ear, and makeup that matched the mood of the speaker, not to mention the many more pieces of magic that Roman was sure were left unseen.

There was a small museum, and Roman’s heart pinched as they remembered the fateful museum in Straith’s castle where they’d met Logan and Patton for the first time. Yet their emotions took a back seat as Roman read everything they could, soaking in the new information about their motherland.

Jessie watched, somewhat bemused. “For a king, you sure act like a wide-eyed tourist. Not that it’s a bad thing, just interesting. I was the same way my first day here. Unfortunately, you get used to it.”

“I’ve never been here before,” Roman replied, poring over a family tree. “My dad took all the books about Canea off the library shelves, and he never talked about it or my mother. This is incredibly new, and  _ incredibly cool _ .”

“What was Epos like?” Her tone indicated genuine curiosity, reminding Roman all at once of Patton and his pensive questions.

Roman’s hand froze over a plaque with their mother’s name. “Not a very good father, that’s for sure. He controlled my life, or at least tried to. I’m happy he’s not running the country any more, but it’s a lot of stress to be his replacement. Not sure what he’s up to now.”

“You’re…sixteen, right? That’s really hard, I’m sorry you have to go through that.”

“Seventeen in a few weeks, not that it matters, really. I’m still the youngest king ever, but I’m handling it as best I can. I have people who help,” Roman said, tracing their fingers over the words about their mother.

“Well, I hope this little vacation in Canea is helpful,” Jessie said, walking over from the doorway to stand next to Roman. “There’s lots of royal advisors here who can give you tips, and of course the king himself. Don’t be afraid to ask about your mother either, everyone here remembers her fondly. They’re more than willing to tell you an old story about her, especially since you’re her son.”

“Thank you for that, Jessie, I really mean it,” Roman said, tearing themself away from their mother’s portrait. “So, what else in the castle is there to see?”

“Just your room, I think.” The two exchanged few words as Jessie led Roman to the place where they would be staying.

A mural of Canea done all in gray reminded Roman of the crisis they were fleeing from at home. “Is magic ever just… independent of a sorcerer? Like, do you ever have it go wild, or something? And cause trouble?”

Jessie thought about it for a second. “Well, there’s magical creatures that are created by using magic improperly, that’s the only thing I can think of. It doesn’t happen a lot.”

Trying to sound like they were just asking to satisfy a personal curiosity, not save their country from potential ruin, Roman asked, “What do you do when it happens?”

“Oh, there’s a preserve for the magical creatures to live and be studied. It’s called Lyrwrithe, my family lives up there. Beautiful, in a forest near the lake, way up north. Why do you ask? I hope there hasn’t been any errant magic in the palace to worry you,” Jessie said, gesturing at the perfectly-working magic that surrounded them both.

“Just curious, I guess. I was wondering if there were any hazards of magic I should know about, in case something happens in Straith,” Roman replied, slightly impressed by their ability to come up with the falsehood so quickly, especially such a believable one.

“It’s extremely rare, since most of the creatures are self-destructive,” Jessie said, and their walk continued in silence. 

The two reached Roman’s room, and they noticed the few fading rays of sun outside the window. Roman hadn’t noticed the sun setting from within the palace, but that explained their exhaustion. That, and they hadn’t eaten in hours. “When’s dinner?” Roman set their bag down on top of the bed.

“A few hours. Get some rest, someone will call you down soon.” Jessie closed the door behind her with a wave, leaving Roman alone.

As Roman looked around at the fairly normal guest room they’d been given (the only hint of magic was a barely-moving painting), a sense of calm washed over them. It had been a wild day, but the relief of not being king could be appreciated, here in this empty room. They took the scarf off and set it on the bed, next to their bag. In a way, Roman’s mother was with them.


	7. Virgil

“What do you mean Roman’s missing?” Virgil asked the king’s chief advisor, frustration bleeding into her voice. She was eye-to-eye with the short man, teenage defiance matching his bored, professional air. Laurus curled protectively around her shoulders, slitted pupils giving the advisor the stink eye.

The advisor appeared unfazed by Virgil, but kept looking at Laurus like the dragon didn’t belong in the castle. “King Roman is nowhere to be seen. We have sent out people to search for him, and with any hope he will be found soon. Of course, the king’s orders in case of absence must be obeyed, so there has been no searching of his private quarters, the Head Sorcerer’s rooms, or any of the servant’s areas. I would suggest that you, Apprentice Sorcerer, focus on your duties and not the king.”

“Listen, I don’t care about the particulars of your search, sir. I need to know where my friend is, because there’s something of an emergency happening right now, which requires—three guesses— _ Roman _ . Also, they’re my friend and I’m a little worried. So, do you have any actual information regarding the royal’s whereabouts?” She could feel the anger pulsing inside her, begging to be released in a wave of magic, but she stamped her emotions down.

“That is information privy to the king’s cabinet. I’m sorry, miss, but I have other things to attend to.” He turned and strolled down the hall away from Virgil, leaving her fuming where she stood. Laurus slid off of her shoulders and flapped his wings twice to land next to her, trying to avoid the purple strands of energy flitting out from the very angry sorcerer.

A tap on her arm made Virgil flinch, but it was just Patton. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. Logan and I thought we’d ask the staff some questions, see where Roman was before they left. You saw them last, do you have any ideas who we could ask first?”

Virgil let her anger die within her, sighing as she faced Patton. They’d gotten to know each other a little in the months since the quest, although neither was really sure how to approach a conversation together. Regardless, Virgil trusted Patton, and his calm in the face of stress was a welcome relief from her own anxious mind. 

“We had lunch in the library, right before the explosion. Maybe have Logan ask the librarian, he’s been dying to know more about the castle library for ages anyways,” Virgil said, pulling her hood over her hair. “I think I’m going to ask Rafaela about it, because she’s been keeping awfully quiet.” Laurus perked up at Rafaela’s name, and immediately started running in tiny circles around her feet, claws clacking on the tile floor.

“Logan already went to the library. I’m not sure if he’s after the librarian or the books.” Patton sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know who some of Roman’s friends in the castle are, so I’ll ask around. Sorry the guards didn’t have any information.”

“It’s ok, we’ll find something soon enough,” Virgil said, trying to keep up hope. The explosions of the last few days were nerve-wracking, and she’d reverted back into some of her old habits of worrying. A little positivity was the most she could hope for when her stomach felt like a wrung washcloth.

“You’re going to talk to Rafaela, right? I know she’s been off lately, but maybe see if she has a spell that could find Roman?” Patton looked around at the now-empty corridor, as if uncertain that his suggestion would be taken seriously.

Laurus stopped running, deciding to sit on Virgil’s feet. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Virgil said, knowing that she’d rather talk to her trusted mentor than a near-stranger. Unlike Patton, she had difficulty befriending the palace staff, as she could never find the right place to slide into their conversations. “Let’s meet at the gates before sundown, ok? So we can tell each other what we found.”

Patton smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Good luck.” He waved back at Virgil.

“Same to you.” Virgil let her feet carry her to Rafaela’s rooms, Laurus on her heels, knowing that when the Head Sorcerer was in such a state, she could usually be found in her private quarters. They were the same as the ones she’d inhabited over a century ago, when there were more members of the royal family who needed rooms. 

Virgil knocked on the door, and took Rafaela’s distant “come in” as her opportunity to enter. She opened the door to find Rafaela sitting at her desk, creating a sphere of water over her fingers only to let it evaporate, then forming it again.

Lost in thought, Rafaela didn’t look up as Virgil entered. Something about the way she sat almost perfectly gave Virgil a bad gut feeling. Laurus slunk behind her, as if afraid.

“Roman’s missing,” Virgil said, trying to say something that would clear the air, or at least get the Dragon Witch’s attention.

“That’s unfortunate.” The water in her hand turned to a snowflake, then an ice cube. Virgil watched, puzzled.

“Do you know a tracking spell? Something that could help us find him?” She didn’t understand why her mentor was  _ acting  _ like this. It was common for Rafaela to be stoic, or reserved, but not frozen like a statue.

“Only if they were a sorcerer. What a pity.” Her head tilted a fraction of an inch, and the snowflake reformed. “Snow is so pretty in the winter, isn’t it? I hadn’t seen it for decades.”

“Rafaela. What’s wrong? Why—why are you acting like this?” Virgil tried to keep her tone polite, formal, but her nerves were fraying after the day she’d had. Last night, she’d barely been able to sleep.

“I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, Virgil. Spur-of-the-moment things. I had too much power, and nothing good to do with it. I’m very sorry.” Nothing moved except for her mouth. The water turned to blue flames, casting a ghastly glow on the Dragon Witch’s face.

Virgil let herself marinate in the silence, hoping that Rafaela would continue, explain. But it was the door opening that punctuated their conversation.

“You guys need to come quick. There’s been another accident. This time, it’s worse.” Logan was out of breath and panting, and he leaned against the doorframe as he took in Virgil’s shocked expression and Rafaela’s passive one. “What’s with her?”

“I don’t know. What happened?” Virgil looked from her mentor to Logan, not sure what to do.

“I’m sick. Continue without me.” She allowed the flames to melt, dripping down her hand.

“Come on,” Logan said, waving Virgil through the door. She followed him, tightening her cloak around her shoulders, but not before shooting one last glance over her shoulder at Rafaela. Laurus jumped up onto her shoulders, making Virgil stumble for a second.

“So, Rafaela aside, what’s going on?” Virgil asked, hurrying after Logan. He must have really been in a state, because usually he never moved fast unless books were involved.   
  


“There’s been a fire on the outskirts of town, near the forest. Right around where the source of our  _ problem  _ is.” He took a sharp left. “People are really freaking out, because nobody has any idea how to put it out.”

Virgil drummed her fingers along the wall to release her nerves as they walked. “Is the fire department there?”

“Yeah, and that’s part of the problem. They think it’s magical, and nothing scares the daylights out of a rule-abiding citizen of Straith like sorcery,” Logan said, sighing as he pushed open a door to the outside. A large crowd was gathered at the castle gates.

“Anything unusual about it beyond not being able to put it out? Does it spread abnormally fast, or is it a weird color, or does it burn things weird? Does it smell weird, or something?” Virgil made a quick mental list of all the spells she knew that could extinguish fire.

“No, it’s an ordinary fire in every aspect except that water is not putting it out,” Logan said, pacing impatiently towards the small gate in the wall that would let them through.

“That’s not good. I think I’ve read a spell like that somewhere.” She wracked her brain for the information on how to put it out, following Logan through the gate.

They were invisible in the thick crowd, the panicked voices unmistakable. Everyone wanted something done about the problem in the woods, whatever the hell it was, and the fear was palpable. Virgil sensed the undercurrents to the panic: after so quick of a power transfer, was their country ready to face this threat? Would the young king be able to handle it?

While Roman was nowhere in sight, Virgil supposed she could make do in his place. As Logan led her to the fire, she tried to take note of easy-to-fix problems on the streets of Archdale. When they got back, Roman would have a lot to deal with. She could only hope that they were doing something that could help the country, even if it wasn’t in the castle where the king belonged.

She smelled the fire before she saw it, and the familiarity of it almost knocked her over. It was one of Rafaela’s favorite spells, the one that was burning the torches of her bedroom right now. Next to her, Logan’s face was a mirror of her own confusion.

“I didn’t think Rafaela would be involved in this,” Logan said as the building came into sight. A simple farmhouse was on fire, the blue flames consuming everything. The handiwork was so familiar, Virgil knew exactly when it would flicker.

“At least I know how to stop it,” Virgil said, pointing her hand at the house. It was an odd gesture, but the people milling around the fire didn’t even notice her. The black and purple of her cloak allowed Virgil to fade to the background, and Laurus was invisible on her shoulders, scales transparent.

She ignored the twang in her heart as the fire splintered like glass, the light blue shards catching the winter sun until Virgil floated them out of the house and stacked them next to her in a neat pile. What had Rafaela done?

Heads turned, following the glossy blue shapes, a wall of astonishment facing Virgil. After an awkward pause of silence, Logan said, “She’s the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Kind of cool, right?”

Before any of the gawkers had a chance to respond, a woman broke away from the crowd to stand before Virgil. “Thank you so much,” she said. Logan and Virgil took in her haggard expression. Her eyes were red, but from smoke or crying it was impossible to tell.

“It’s—it’s what I do,” Virgil replied, dropping her gaze to the snowy ground.

“It’s miraculous. You just saved—that house has been in my family for generations. I’m not sure what happened to it, but there was a boom—like the explosions recently, then before I knew it, the house was in flames and we had to escape. I thought I’d watch the place where I grew up burn to the ground.” She sobbed, a fresh tear running down her right cheek. “I know it might be too much to ask, but do you know what happened to set it on fire? I can’t thank you enough.”

Virgil’s eyes went wide, tears of her own on the edge of spilling over. “I don’t know what happened, sorry. I’m happy I could help, I know how it feels to think you’ll lose the only place you’ve ever lived.” Uncertain of what to do next, she swallowed her sobs and embraced the woman, closing her eyes so that the tears wouldn’t help.

She felt Logan’s hand on her shoulder, a comfort. When she broke away from her hug with this total stranger—what was she doing?—the crowd was applauding her. A standing ovation. Virgil froze where she stood, panic rushing through her as she realized what had just happened.

“Thank you, I have to go tell my wife,” the woman said, leaving Virgil to disappear into the crowd, just as quickly as she’d come.

Logan led her away from the crowd, before the situation could freak her out any more. She wanted to thank him, but Virgil couldn’t seem to find the words for the life of her. They walked down the familiar streets of Virgil’s home until they were at the doorway of Food for the Mind. Virgil felt some of her anxiety fade away as she stepped into the bookstore.

“Are you alright?” Logan asked, inviting her to sit next to him on a beanbag in the kids section. “I thought you might just want to get away from the situation, if that’s fine.”

She sank into the small yellow beanbag. “I’m better, thanks. Thank you for taking me here, too. I’d rather be here than the palace, or that house, or anywhere, really,” Virgil said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Crowds. Crowds watching me do magic are…fun. So much fun. Full sarcasm. And strangers who approach me to thank me for solving a problem my mentor may have created in the first place.”

“Sorry about that, do you want anything?” Logan was still worried about her, but Virgil couldn’t focus on that for long.

“If you could tell me why I just saw  _ Rafaela’s  _ fire destroying someone’s house, that would be great. No one else makes fire like that, mine’s always pink or purple. And it doesn’t look like the lovechild of ice and fire.” She leaned forward to put her chin on her hand, already brainstorming.


	8. Roman

Roman’s second day in Canea passed completely normally. They slept in, woke up, and got dressed in the first clothes they saw, making sure to put on their mother’s scarf. Jessie delivered breakfast to their room, and told Roman there was someone who wanted to spend the day with them. Besides their day already being planned, it was normal.

Abnormally, it had been months, maybe years since Roman had a day like this. They’d spent their whole life under Epos’s thumb, and then under the completely different pressures of being king. It was impossible to feel guilty about leaving Straith when the sensation of being  _ relaxed  _ was this pleasant.

Eyes still foggy, Roman followed Jessie’s instructions and walked to the library, not knowing why this mystery person wanted to meet there. Truth be told, they’d started to zone out when Jessie explained who this person was. Absentmindedly, Roman walked around the library, admiring the books. It was two, if not three times bigger than the library in Straith’s castle.

A few volumes on sorcery caught Roman’s eye, and they were just prying a book from the shelf when someone asked, “excuse me, are you Roman?” The voice wasn’t familiar, but when Roman turned around, the woman’s warm brown eyes and easygoing yet dignified disposition set them at ease.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Roman replied. This was clearly the person Jessie told them to meet, judging by her professional attitude and that she knew their name. She had long black hair flowing down her back, complementing her brown skin and dark suit. Old enough to be their mother.

She smiled. “I’m Lilly, nice to meet you.” Lilly shook their hand, something glinting in her eyes that Roman couldn’t place. Almost recognition.

Roman’s head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, probably from sleep deprivation. They weren’t really sure what was going on. “Nice to meet you too. You must be the person I’m supposed to um, spend the day with.”

“Yes, that’s me. Normally, I’d be advising Mark, but I’ve never met you and…I was a close friend of your mother’s. I’ve been wanting to meet her son since the day you were born. We all miss Madeline very much. You really look like her, it’s bittersweet.” Lilly smiled, the sadness reaching her eyes.

“Thank you, I guess,” Roman said, a complicated blur of emotions rising inside them. “I never knew much about her, I’ve barely seen a painting of her face. Hopefully you can tell me more about her.”

“Right. Your father was secretive in his own way,” Lilly said, “I have  _ lots  _ of stories to tell you. It’s sad that you’ve never really known anything about her until now. Let’s go for a walk, I have some places I want to show you.”

Excitement rose in Roman’s chest, and they practically skipped after Lilly. She didn’t say anything as they walked, but after a few minutes they emerged into a small courtyard. Snow was already gracing the ground, falling in soft flakes. Lilly sat on a stone bench, sweeping away the dusting of snow so that Roman could sit next to her.

“This was one of her favorite places,” she said, looking around. Roman took in the flowers that were in full bloom despite the snow falling around them. Irises and crocuses, tulips and daffodils. Spring flowers, and even though Roman was shivering without a cloak, they made the air seem warmer. It was a circular courtyard, filled with flowers except for the path and the bench.

“It’s beautiful,” Roman said, not sure what else to say. It was hard to imagine their mother sitting there—hard to imagine her at all, really. They paused, hoping Lilly would have something to say.

She looked down at the bench and sighed. “She used to come here all the time to think. When something big happened, or even when something little happened. Madeline would sit right where you are, and we’d just sit and be silent there. Together. I miss that silence.” Her voice choked up, and Roman wanted to hug her, to say something, to comfort her for the loss of their own mother.

“How long have the flowers been blooming?” they asked, letting a long silence pass before trying to clear the cold air. It was a question that did not need to be answered, but Roman was curious.

“As long as anyone can remember. It’s the courtyard of eternal spring, or something fancy like that. There’s one for the other three seasons, but this one was her favorite. It’s the smallest one, like a little cubbyhole for her to curl up in,” Lilly said, letting a few tears fall down her face.

“How did you know her?” Roman asked, tucking the story inside of them to keep. It was incredibly sad, in that moment, that this was Roman’s mother, but Roman didn’t have any memories of her. Lilly had to fill in the gaps.

“We met when she was still in school. It was a big college, but everyone was nervous about approaching the princess. I didn’t even recognize her, I just complimented her shirt and said she looked familiar. It turned out we had a class together, and we just started talking. I came to the palace with her one winter, and hit it off with her family. I’ve kind of been an honorary member ever since. Hence, being the king’s chief advisor.” She smiled at the memory, happiness soaking into her face for the first time since they’d entered the courtyard.

Roman smiled too. “That’s wonderful. Do—do you have any other stories? I’d love to hear them all, if you’ve got the time.” They ran their fingers over the red scarf, wanting to know more.

“Of course, I have loads. She was a lot of fun, your mother. I’ve never met anybody quite like her” 

They passed their time in the courtyard that way, Lilly reminiscing and Roman listening. She painted a picture of Roman’s mother, of an intelligent, brave woman who saw being queen as a service to her people. As they talked, Roman wondered what it would be like if they met her. Would they get along? What would she think of what they’d done?

Lilly had an answer for that question too. When their conversation turned to discussing Roman’s life, she reassured them that their mother would be proud.

“You’ve done a lot for your country,” Lilly said, reaching over to ruffle Roman’s hair. “More than she ever thought could be done.”

Something about her words seemed to hint at something more, but Roman was more preoccupied with going inside to see Madeline’s other favorite places than questioning her further. It was getting cold, and Roman wanted to find out everything they could about their mother while they were still in Canea. They felt guilty being away for more than a week and only leaving a note on their desk.

It was lunch time, so they ate. Afterwards, they had a few hours to kill until dinner. With a big smile on her face, Lilly told them that King Mark would be there this evening. Roman couldn’t wait to meet him, and hoped that the dinner would go well. They didn’t mind waiting, though, jealously hoarding the information about their mother like a dragon. Lilly almost showed them Madeline’s private quarters, but decided it would be up to the king whether Roman could go in there or not.

She shared some of her favorite memories of Roman’s mother in the palace—every other hallway seemed to hold a moment in Madeline Elthren’s life. Before long, it was time for dinner, so Jessie came to bring Roman to their room.

“How’s Lilly?” she asked, leading Roman through a throng of ministers trying to get out of the palace.

“She’s nice. We got to talk about my mother,” Roman said, not sure what to say. “I can’t wait to meet the king, though. If Lilly, his chief advisor, is any indication, he should be a good king.”  _ And, hopefully, uncle. _

“Are you nervous? I was nervous.” Jessie whispered something under her breath, and a door opened in the wall. She pulled Roman through it, startling them.

“A little. Wait, are you a sorcerer?” Roman asked. They were now in an entirely different corridor.

“Not at all. Most people aren’t, there’s just the few who are born with the true gift. Canea just happens to highly value sorcery, so it’s used almost everywhere. Sorcerers are rarely out of work. But the door unlocks with a passcode that only the staff knows,” Jessie explained, walking a little faster. “Let’s hurry, I don’t want you to be late.”

“That’s interesting. So it works the same as in Straith.”

“Basically. It’s not like the water makes people magical or something. We’re almost to the dining hall,” Jessie said, laughing a little at her own joke.

Roman fell silent after that, trying to prepare themself for meeting the king. While they were also a king, this was not Roman’s kingdom. And they’d never met Markus before.

“Should I be worried?” Roman asked Jessie when they reached the door. They played with the end of their mother’s scarf.

“No, not really. You’ll be fine, trust me. He’s nice to everyone, and he can’t wait to meet you.”

She pushed open the door for Roman, and they walked in, not sure of the etiquette. In Straith, there would have been some sort of presentation, a herald announcing their title before Roman sat down at the table.

Instead, the scene was casual. The king sat at the head of the table, his crown perched on top of his head offhandedly, like he’d just thrown it on for dinner. The other twenty or so people looked to be either the king’s family, or dear friends. Lilly gave Roman a wave.

They closed the door behind them, and Roman decided to just make their way to their seat and hope nothing went wrong. There was one empty seat, so Roman took it. The food was already on the table, so Roman took some, hoping that eating something would calm their nerves.

“Ah, Roman! So happy you could come, really.” Roman looked up from their plate to see King Markus, Ruler of Canea and Lover of Dogs giving them a warm smile.

For whatever reason, Roman had worried that Mark would turn out similar to Epos, another ruler whose heart was hardened by the throne. But from the way everyone around them was saying hello, the scattered “you look like your mother”s, and the smiles on people’s faces, Roman decided that the King of Canea was someone he could trust.

“I’m happy to be here. It’s great to meet you, King Mark,” Roman said, returning his warm expression. “The food is great, by the way.”

“Well, I’m happy you’re enjoying it. It’s a special occasion, after all, the return of our dear Madeline’s son. I made sure we had some of our special dishes, including a few magical ones. Oh, and you can just call me Uncle Mark while we’re here. I’m not terribly attached to my title,” Mark said, passing Roman a plate with small sugar fairies flitting around.

“You can call me, um, Roman,” they said, transfixed by the tiny creatures. They sparkled under the chandelier lights, rainbows spilling onto the tablecloth. Although they moved independently of one another, they never left the plate or flew more than a foot above it.

“Pretty, aren’t they?” one man said. “Don’t worry, I was hypnotized when I first saw them too.” He ran a hand through his curly brown hair sheepishly. “Which was about fifteen minutes ago. Hi, I’m Dan. Nice to meet you.” He chuckled, a little insecure, but Roman didn’t see why. It  _ was  _ rather funny, when he put it that way.

They laughed in response, and the dinner was off to a promising start. It was, to put it simply, the complete opposite of the stiff, formal dinners they put up with in Straith. There were almost no politics at this table, besides a few joking comments. Jokes and laughter abounded, and Roman could barely find the time to eat when they were trying to listen to the stories being told around them.

Mark insisted they eat a sugar fairy, even though Roman felt bad about eating something that looked and felt so  _ living _ . But the fairy froze the second it made contact with Roman’s hand, and it tasted delicious.

“We’ve got an amazing sorcerer for a chef,” Lilly said, plucking two fairies from the plate. “These are her specialty, but she’s got some other wonderful creations. She made these tarts that were tiny volcanoes once, and they were delicious.”

Roman of course, had to ask her about all of the other confections, and other people chimed in. The conversation switched topics over and over, but Roman found themself keeping up and laughing along. Eventually, the meal came to an end, but even as the dishes were cleared away, nobody left the table.

“I hope you all enjoyed your meal, compliments of our wonderful cooking staff, and the wonderful chef Ro, because I do have some evening entertainment for you all tonight,” the king said, and the curtain behind him swung open to reveal a theatre troupe, all set up for a performance.

It was a very familiar theatre troupe, or at least one person was. Roman couldn’t believe that  _ Thomas  _ was actually here. They hadn’t seen him since Epos’s reign, when the king had invited the small-town troupe to stay at the castle for a few months to provide entertainment for the royal family. Roman had grown close with all of them, and gave a small wave to Valerie from the audience.

She winked back, and the show began. It was a silly tale about vampires, and everyone enjoyed it. Roman couldn’t wipe the smile off their face if they tried; it was a great show. Seeing everyone again was almost as awesome, Roman couldn’t help but miss getting to spend time with them during their stay in Straith.

After the final curtain, Roman was itching for the chance to get out of their seat and  _ talk  _ to everyone. They wanted to congratulate all of them on the performance, and talk to them a bit. Roman hadn’t gotten the chance to see how they were in ages, and wanted to know everything about their adventures.

The actors walked down from the stage. Roman wondered why at first, but then they all greeted the king.  _ Perhaps that’s the custom here _ , Roman thought,  _ but hopefully Thomas can still say- _

“Roman!” It was Thomas, walking towards them. “How are you?”

He gave Roman a hug, not giving the startled kid a chance to respond. “I’m doing pretty well, thank you for asking,” Roman said, once the hug had ended. “But what about you? Where have you been?”

“Oh, everywhere. We haven’t been to Straith in a while, unfortunately, but traveling Canea is wonderful. There’s so much to see! I am sad that I missed your coronation, though,” Thomas replied, sitting down next to Roman. Lilly had gotten up to talk with someone else. In fact, there were lots of empty chairs. It was becoming more like a party, everyone talking around them.

“It wasn’t anything special,” Roman said, really not wanting to elaborate. Their coronation was probably the last thing they wanted to discuss with Thomas, of all people. As Roman waffled, trying to think of something to say, they remembered Logan, how he always had something to say.

Their friends. Of course, Thomas didn’t know about them. Roman could feel their excitement already growing just thinking about them. “But I did make some friends. Three, actually. And I told them, my um, my secret.” Roman added the last part in an undertone, not wanting someone to overhear. Even here in their mother’s kingdom, the paranoia of Straith still stuck with the young king.

“Really? Roman, I’m so proud of you.” He hugged Roman again, and Roman smiled against his shoulder. “Tell me about them, they must be really special. I’m happy you found people, you couldn’t hang around with us for forever.”

“Ok, ok. There’s three of them. Virgil, Patton, and Logan. We met up because of this crazy prophecy thing that eventually led to me becoming king. I met Virgil first, and she’s kind of my best friend? Like, it’s understood that we would both take each others company over anyone else’s.”

“Even me?” Thomas joked, beaming with pride.

“Yeah, even you.” Thomas pretended to be offended. “Um, she’s got long blond hair, and she’s always wearing a cloak. I mean, she’s the Apprentice Sorcerer now and we had to put a cloak in the uniform or she wouldn’t do it. She can be really funny sometimes, and she’s just as freaked out by life as I am, which is nice. I have someone to sympathize with, it’s great.”

“That’s amazing for you. What about Logan and Patton? I actually know a Logan who lives in Straith, I think. And I’m so glad that Straith is embracing sorcery more, now. I used to get really paranoid about it when I was there,” Thomas said, absentmindedly letting tiny strings of light wind themselves around the hand he rested on the table.

Roman looked at the strands, feeling a little bit dumb. “I didn’t know you were a sorcerer.”

“It’s not like I was going to keep it a secret, believe me,” Thomas said, ducking his head a little. “I wish I could have told you I was a, well,  _ light sorcerer _ , but you were the prince of Straith, and that’s a risk I couldn’t take.”

“I understand,” Roman said, wishing they didn’t understand so well. “I wouldn’t want you to be banned from Straith forever. But…could you maybe help out the very new Department of Sorcery in Straith? Rafaela—long story—and Virgil are both dark sorcerers, but we’re finding people who aren’t, and it’s really hard to train them when nobody’s actually a light sorcerer.”

“Roman, I wish I could help you out, but I chose acting over sorcery a long time ago. I couldn’t leave the troupe for very long to train people, and I’m not very good at it anyways. I stopped trying to get better when I was like, thirteen. I’m a level fifteen, or something like that.” Thomas paused, then shrugged. “It is what it is. So, Logan and Patton, right?”

“Yeah, they’re dating. They’re really cute, believe me, and they kind of run the bookstore together. I mean, Logan runs the bookstore with his parents, and Patton helps out at the orphanage because he’s such a dad, but one of them is always there. Patton lives there with Logan and his family because even with some generous federal grants, it’s still the same place and he doesn’t want to live there if he doesn’t have to. He checks up on the kids there a lot, though, it’s really sweet,” Roman said, looking off into the distance. They’d love to have a relationship like that some day, really.

“Logan runs the bookstore with his parents? I think I know them, they’re,” Thomas said, snapping his fingers, trying to think. “Corbin and Sloane! They’re the best, my goodness. I could talk with them all day, they invited me over for tea and I just loved them.”

“I know, they’re amazing. They’ve offered to adopt me on more than one occasion.” They made Thomas laugh, and the two kept talking. Roman was amazed at everything new that had happened in their life in the months since talking with Thomas. Not much had changed for Thomas, by the looks of it, but Roman suspected that Thomas cared more about their life than his own.

How far they’d come, since being so scared to tell the one person they trusted their identity, to running a kingdom with true friends at their back. Thomas had been the first person who looked at Roman and saw a person, a kid like any other, and he was the mentor and father figure that Epos never was. Roman made him promise to come visit Straith soon.


	9. Roman

It was Roman’s second full day in Canea, and third day overall. They didn’t want this vacation to end, it was too perfect. Seeing Thomas, the feast, and Lilly’s stories about their mother all made Roman never want to leave. Were they not an actual king, Roman would stay for months.

Another morning of sleeping in, and Roman could appreciate being well-rested with less of the morning fog. Jessie woke them up, once again. Despite her youthful appearance, she was twenty years old and a full-time employee of the castle, as she explained when Roman expressed that they thought she was much younger.

She was a much more pleasant alarm clock than Roman’s annoying ticky thing in Straith. Roman’s morning improved even further when Jessie told them that the king wanted to spend some time with them. After meeting the king last night, Roman wasn’t too anxious, but they were incredibly curious.

“He said he wanted to show you some of your mother’s things,” Jessie said, leading a just-dressed Roman to where they were meeting the king. The clothes in Roman’s guest room fit them perfectly, and many of them were their mother’s. Apparently, Roman could take some home with them if they wanted, but for now, Roman was really digging this blouse. It was simplistic, a feminine style that fit them just the way they wanted it to.

“That should be fun,” Roman said, admiring the art in the corridors. How anyone could get used to this much beauty, they didn’t know. Their eyes lingered on the swan wallpaper that blinked and breathed. “Who did all the art here? It’s so pretty.”

“Lots of different artists, I believe. When the palace was built, they added lots of magic touches to provide jobs for struggling sorcerers. Specifically, the art sorcerers were becoming extremely undervalued, as increased paranoia over internal politics led to more people using magic to protect themselves instead of to add beauty to their lives,” Jessie answered, giving the wallpaper a passing glance. “That’s all the history of it, anyways. It’s not that interesting.”

“No, no. It’s really neat, I love history.” Roman wondered who had made the plant with a hundred different flower blossoms in front of them. “Do you know who made specific pieces?”

“There’s a record of them somewhere, I think,” Jessie said, stopping to knock on a door. “We’re at the king’s chambers, so have fun!”

The door opened before Roman, by none other than King Markus himself. He gave Roman a strong handshake, surprising his nephew.

“Roman, so good to see you! I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you earlier, but duty calls. How has your time in Canea been so far?” The king walked into what looked like a study room of some sort, and Roman automatically followed.

“It’s been wonderful so far, really,” Roman said, taking in the room. It wasn’t much to look at-a simple desk and a few bookshelves and cabinets, all in the same dark wood. Much different than Roman’s office back at home. They were almost scared to do work in there half the time, everything was so nice. “Jessie showed me around, and I got to meet Lilly. Dinner last night was great, too.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Mark replied, pacing around the room, clearly looking for something. “There’s some old things of your mother’s in here, it’s just been a while since I’ve been in this room. It’s a chest of some sorts.”

“Were you, um, close with my mother?” Roman asked, noting the change in the king’s tone when he mentioned Madeline. They looked around the room, wondering where a chest would be.

“Yes,” he responded, “She was my sister, and we fought sometimes, but at the end of the day we were in it together.”

There was an awkward pause of silence as Mark continued rooting through the room, and Roman watched. They weren’t sure what to say to that—it wasn’t like Roman had any siblings.

“Must be in the other room,” the king said, sighing and walking through another archway to a bedroom. “Sorry, I really do want to spend time with you and go through her things, but I only have a few minutes. I hope you understand, Roman.”

“It’s—it’s no problem. I have similar problems in Straith. The stress of being king can be difficult to bear,” Roman said, waving the apology away with their hand.

“Yes, I’m surprised you’ve managed to spend this much time away from your kingdom,” the king said, rooting around under the bed in a very undignified manner. “Ah! Found it.”

“I have, um, very capable advisors,” Roman said, remembering that they  _ had  _ essentially abdicated the throne with little to no warning. That thought quickly disappeared from their mind when Mark pulled the trunk out from under the bed. “What’s in it?”

“Lots of your mother’s old papers, diaries and letters. She kept a very thorough diary, and wrote to many of her college friends. So many pen pals— and many of them didn’t even know that she was the princess.” He struggled a little with picking up the trunk, heaving it in the direction of the office.

“Don’t you have servants who can assist with this?” Roman asked, surprised at how much Mark was struggling. “Here, I can give you a hand.” They held onto one side of the trunk.

“Thank you, Roman. I do have servants, but I wanted to speak with you in private. Besides, it’s good for me, with all the sitting I do all day,” Mark said, guiding Roman into the office. Together, the two kings set the chest down on the desk.

“Anything I should definitely look at?” Roman asked, already fiddling with the clasp of the chest.

“Oh, all of it’s interesting. Tell me what you find at dinner, it’s been a while since I looked through it all,” Mark said, helping Roman with the clasp. The lid of the chest flipped backwards, and Roman dove in immediately, grabbing a sheet of paper to read. “I wish I had more time to talk with you... We should have a real talk sometime. How long will you be staying?”

“Um, a week, I think,” Roman said, already skimming the letter. “Maybe we could tour the city together, or something.”

“I would love that. Now, I’ll send someone to get you for lunch,” Mark said, walking towards the door. “I hope the papers help you learn more about Madeline.” The door shut behind him before Roman could reply, leaving them all alone with a lot of reading to do.

The king seemed nice enough, but Roman really didn’t care about him when there was a whole treasure chest filled with their mother’s handwriting in front of them. Starting with the letter in their hand, Roman sat down in the chair and read. The chair appeared to be wooden, but Roman could swear it felt cushioned.

Just another touch of magic in Canea, they supposed. But Roman soon forgot about their chair as they read further in the papers. Madeline Elthren’s life unfolded before them, the world of an intelligent socialite living as part of the ruling class of Canea. She loved magic, and mourned the fact that she wasn’t a sorceress. In one letter to Lilly, she recalled playing “sorcerer” as a child. Roman found the paper hard to read as tears welled in their eyes at the thought of Madeline loving Virgil for her powers.

Past college, the letters changed their tone. They weren’t to friends anymore, but to important members of the court. Roman was confused when they saw the first letter addressed to someone within the Canean court, but the person wasn’t on vacation. The story unfolded from there, and Roman couldn’t believe how…callously she talked about Epos.

It wasn’t like Roman hadn’t said similar to their friends, but this was the man she eventually married. Yet there was another twist — letters about Epos’s corruption—and how marrying him could be the only way for Canea to infiltrate and neutralize the threat Epos presented.

_ Counselor Alexa _

_ I understand that we should not interfere in affairs that are not our own, but the more news we receive about Epos’s reign and how it is harming the people of Straith, the more scared I become. He could cut off trade with Canea, and then where would we be? Their imports of coal are vital for our economy—he could cause a complete collapse—and as much as I absolutely hate him, marriage might be our best bet. It’ll forge an alliance, if nothing else. _

_ But I cannot allow assassination to take place with my knowledge. As queen, I will have enough power to hold sway over their government to hopefully keep anything too terrible from happening. Once I produce an heir, I’ll be vital enough that no one will be able to dismiss me in court. I hate that it’s the only way I’ll gain respect in Straith, but we can’t change everything overnight. _

_ I have sent a letter to Epos with an affirmative to his proposal. I hope we can work together on this, though we have different views. _

_ Love and victory, _

_ Madeline Elthren, Crown Princess of Canea _

There were more letters than just the one, but this was the one that Roman gripped hard enough to wrinkle the paper. A loveless marriage. A refusal to assassinate. Respect, gained through an heir.

It wasn’t surprising. Roman had always wondered how someone would fall in love with their father, especially when their stepmother had only married Epos for his money. She’d disappeared after Roman took the crown, there for their coronation and gone the next. Roman supposed she was with her family, happily working on the family business of mining. They’d never thought to check, but her apathy towards Epos made the letters between Roman’s mother and the former king more shocking.

_ Dearest Madeline _

_ It brings me so much joy to know that you will take my hand in the sacred bond of marriage. I don’t say these words to merely be courteous, but because I am happy to be marrying for love, not politics. You have listened to me when no one else would, and taken sympathy in the plights of a jaded king when many would scorn me for my status. Truly, there is no one like you. Your wit lights up a room, and I cannot wait to see it grace the halls of Straith’s castle. _

_ Thank you for your kind words since the death of my father, and may they continue every day. I await your visit with much anticipation, and if there is anything you desire for the wedding, say the word and it is yours. I am so glad to have found an ally in my vision for Straith, and to have that ally at my side in court. _

_ With all my love, _

_ Epos Theularus _

Roman didn’t realize how much their father had loved Madeline. And how little their mother loved Epos. Her words felt fake in the responding letter, the tone completely different from her other correspondence. The manipulation was obvious, every syllable a betrayal to the idea of a loving person that everyone at last night’s dinner had built.

_ Beloved Epos, _

_ I am counting down the days, this is truly a dream come true! I believe we will be excellent rulers together, and companions in the most intimate of ways. To join you, not your country, but you, in marriage is the highest honor I could imagine. There is no visionary I would rather follow into a new world. Your intelligence and foresight is one that I admire, and it is a privilege to listen to your innermost thoughts. _

_ I wish I could write more, but it is late and I fear someone will notice me grinning over a letter in the dead of night, loopy with love and giggling to herself. For the wedding, I wish nothing but to have you by my side. _

_ All the love in the world, _

_ Madeline Elthren Theularus _

They read on, despite the sting of their mother’s lies. There were so many letters to and from the nobility of Canea, some describing how Madeline should seduce Epos in so much detail that Roman couldn’t read them all the way through. Even Markus was in on the secret, telling his sister to make her “intentions more obvious to the moronic monarch you married. Alliteration!” As much as Roman wanted to be mad at her on their father’s behalf, they couldn’t blame her. Even in youth, Epos was a downright terrible person, and he’d grown into an awful king who cared more about his fragile ego than the people he was supposed to be serving.

After years of being forced to conform to Epos’s idea of what a “son” should be, Roman knew that it must have taken guts for their mom to subject herself to his rule every second of her life, willingly. If you had asked Roman, at fourteen, if they wanted to live with Epos or literally anywhere else, they would have chosen anywhere else in a heartbeat.

During her pregnancy, she wrote about Roman. It was strange, the things she wanted for them. The way she talked about them as a hopeful future, someone she would bring up to be more like herself than Epos. It was sad, but Roman couldn’t stop reading. These were the only words she would ever write about them.

_ Lilly, _

_ Epos keeps asking me if there’s any Canean sorcery that lets us know the gender before the baby is born, and I keep telling him there isn’t. Fortunately, he’s too stupid to know that there absolutely is (Straith’s library is a joke, honestly), and I don’t really care if it’s a boy or girl. Either way, I just want to raise a child that will rule Straith better than their father. Someone with a good heart, and enough patience to put up with their father because I could certainly use some. _

_ Cravings are, well, interesting. I’m hoping I don’t get the urge for something magical, because every time I bring up sorcery, I get this look like I murdered everyone’s cat. I really don’t understand what about sorcery is as awful as cat genocide, but I’m almost afraid to ask. Perhaps my baby will somehow get this country to not have such a prejudice against magic. I’m pretty sure Epos would flip if he visited Canea, but he’s too self-obsessed to even think about it. _

_ I hope all is well in Chanidy, and Mark isn’t too stressed over the training for monarchy. I remember being sixteen and terrified that I could literally kill people with a few words. He’s more anxious than I am, so make sure he’s ok. _

_ Love and victory, _

_ Madeline Elthren (technically Theularus, but not happy about it) _

Well, at least Roman was able to bring sorcery to Straith. Their mother would be proud, certainly. Roman sat in that room, letting their emotions fill them to the brim, until Jessie brought them to dinner.


	10. Virgil

The general consensus over Roman’s disappearance was that no one would talk about it, or give an inkling that the king wasn’t around to anyone outside the palace, much to Virgil’s dismay. Everyone was patiently waiting for their king to return, like they didn’t know how much Roman hated being king.

Wherever they were, she hoped Roman was safe and having a good time. She didn’t think they were kidnapped, honestly. More likely, Roman had panicked over the unknown threat to Straith (even if the dragon was only in Archdale) and run off to the next suburb over where a nice family decided to take in the distressed traveller. Or they were hiding in the palace itself.

She wasn’t worried. They would be fine. 

She was worried. They could be anywhere.

It wasn’t like Virgil had time to think about it anyways. All she had time to do lately was put out fires, both literal and metaphorical. Rafaela was sick, whatever that meant, and there were only a few sorcerers in training who could handle even the basics of containment. They were so inexperienced, Virgil couldn’t bear the thought of making them face this unknown threat with next to no training.

Logan and Patton were both busy with their respective lives, so while she tried to deputize them in the quest of figuring out where the hell Roman went, no new information came in. She could barely manage to question the palace staff in between dealing with scared people and minimizing any damage that the misfired magical lab experiment in the woods was creating.

Sitting on top of the wall around the castle, Virgil let the snow create little mounds on her coat. It was late, but she couldn’t sleep. She got close, sometimes, but the bright bulbs lighting the castle kept her eyelids from closing. The incidents were coming about two hours apart. The next one was due in fifteen minutes, if she’d done her math correctly. Virgil had sent Laurus to her room to sleep, not wanting the dragon to overexert himself, although she was definitely overexerting  _ herself _ .

The whole kingdom was visible from this high wall, and Virgil tried to ignore her shivering as she scanned the lights of the city for any disturbance. Fire, smoke, an explosion, all the lights going out. She’d seen it all, or what felt like it all, in the two days Roman had been absent. It was starting to wear at her, fray at the fabric of her sanity, and she hoped nothing would tear. 

A loud noise, shaking the bricks under her. Virgil sat up immediately, eyes following the jet of blue flame in the middle of the town, then jumped off the wall and landed in one smooth motion. The shock traveled up her legs, Virgil shook it off and ran.

It was dark, but she’d memorized the castle grounds a long time ago. Weaving in and out of bushes and trees, Virgil sped up as her feet hit the asphalt of the road. She could feel the ground shaking more under her feet, but kept running towards the source.

Brilliant blue flames were already going, and Virgil performed the incantation, the fire in the middle of the street disappearing bit by bit. She’d gotten better at this after having to do it nine times a day. When it was almost completely gone, more flames replaced it.

Virgil kept enchanting it away, but the fire kept coming, all from the same spot in the street. A source. If she could get rid of the source, the fire would go away. Thinking fast, she cast a containment spell around the fire that she could see—the damn street lights were out—and ran to where the source was, casting a small ball of light in her hand to see.

The thing illuminated before her made Virgil stop in her tracks. It appeared to be made of moving gray stone, solid red eyes reflecting her tiny light, a being towering over Virgil and most of the buildings surrounding it. Spikes on its face gave the thing an alien look, the sharp edges promising danger. The head alone was Virgil’s height, and she felt lucky it hadn’t noticed her yet when its mouth opened to let loose another burst of flame, razor-edged fangs glowing white under the blue.

She cast her gaze farther away from the fire, looking at the body of the creature. It had four legs, a tail with wicked spikes twisting from side to side and crashing into the buildings, and two protrusions that almost looked like folded…canvas? Virgil squinted at them, then realized that they were wings, wings with a long claw at the end of them.

There was a dragon standing in the middle of the street, setting fire to the cobblestones for no apparent reason, other than that it could. This was not Laurus, the cat-sized dragon sleeping on Virgil’s bed right now. This was a beast of old that belonged somewhere in a vast forest of legend, not in the heart of Archdale. Virgil had to get rid of it, keep it from causing any more damage.

Channelling her worst childhood nightmares, Virgil created an illusion of a black mass in front of the dragon. It was just smoke, pitch-black and menacing. The dragon moved back from it, no longer blowing fire. Gathering all her energy, Virgil vanished the fire while maintaining the smoke, letting it flicker only a few times before the fire was gone.

With the dragon taking step after step back, clearly frightened by Virgil’s creature of terror, she sighed with relief. The situation was under control.

It was the wrong move. With startling speed, the dragon turned towards her, and Virgil’s blood froze in her veins. Focusing on her, its eyes widened with a feeling she couldn’t place, not when it was such a foreign creature. She held her ground, not wanting to run in case it would chase. Then, the dragon took a step back, and Virgil realized it had been afraid when the creature turned around and ran for the woods, footsteps shaking the ground in a frantic staccato.

After a minute of just standing there, shocked still by the dragon, Virgil realized what this meant: She could solve this. There was nothing in books of magic, or Rafaela’s memory, about gray smudges in forests that set buildings on azure fire. But there were many things about dragons and other magical creatures.

She took a cursory glance to make sure nothing was too damaged in the street, then turned around and walked back to the castle, to talk to Rafaela. The fuzzy beginnings of a theory were starting to form in the cobwebs of Virgil’s mind, and she had a hunch that Rafaela was connected to the dragon hiding in the woods. There was no need to rush, especially when the cold of the night was turning her limbs stiff.

***

“You’re right.”

There was a long pause, then Rafaela said, “I created it.”

“How? Why? Why would you make something like that?” Virgil wanted to slap the frozen expression off of her mentor’s face. This was serious, and she was the only person who could stop it. Virgil was just an apprentice, albeit a talented one.

“It was an accident.” She refused to make eye contact with Virgil, gaze drifting along the bed and dressers of her chambers, as if drifting back to the last time she was a permanent resident of these rooms.

“How is a giant dragon an accident? Do you just misfire a simple fire spell and  _ boom!  _ Dragon?” Virgil said, her tone sharp and accusing. “And then you completely abandon me to take care of this thing while you sit at home and stare at the  _ walls _ . This apprenticeship is  _ really  _ working out, Rafaela.”

The mask of Rafaela’s face twitched, and an ancient sadness filled the cracks. “I never told you about unhinged magic, did I? Although I am new to it myself.”

Virgil opened her mouth, about to fire another barrage of insults and sarcasm, but Rafaela cut her off. “Sorcery is about controlling your emotions and extending that control to the world around you. Unhinged magic is what happens when you’re not in control, and use your powers as a way to relieve those emotions. It was barely talked about in my day, I do not know how I remembered it now. That’s what I did. I didn’t intend to create a dragon, just blow off steam. I’d never done it before.”

“Why? What set it off? You’re always in control, aren’t you?”

“Now, I am. Last century, different story. It was the night after my stepfather sentenced me to eternal imprisonment. I went into the woods, to a place where I often went when I was hiding. From the king, from responsibilities, to perform magic in aid of others. A home away from home if you will. I would never see it again. I would live many lifetimes over inside the same four walls. I was mad. I lost control minutes after I walked through the door, and I sealed something in there because I was afraid of what my own rage would do.” She sighed, as if letting a weight slide off her shoulders. The weight of a secret the age of a century.

Virgil’s irritation at her mentor had not been wiped away by the story. “If it was sealed, what opened it?”

“I went back to visit, a few weeks ago. I missed it, it was so homey. And then I remembered, and I couldn’t go back and fix what I did. And it was the second time I brought harm to this country by my past errors. I was paralyzed, because I thought I would only bring more harm. I still don’t know if I can interfere without making things worse,” Rafaela finished, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them, her face solemn.

“Rafaela, you’re the most powerful sorcerer in all of Straith,” Virgil said, looking at her mentor, dumbfounded. “If there’s anyone that can help, it’s you. Even if you did create this mess in the first place, that doesn’t mean you can’t do something.”

“I don’t know if I can face it,” Rafaela said, “It’s  _ me _ , all my fear and rage from that one night, built up and ready to explode. Who knows what could happen? I could become possessed by that rage once again, or it could turn against me. I don’t know, and I can’t go in unless I know. I’m sorry, Virgil. I-I wish…” She trailed off, voice breaking apart.

“I guess I have to find Roman, then,” Virgil said, the bitterness in her voice brittle and ready to crack. “I’ll go into their quarters, see if there’s anything that hints at what happened. Roman is a private person, if there’s anything, it’ll be there. I didn’t think I’d have to do this, but you leave me no choice.” She got up from Rafaela’s bedside and walked out of the room, not willing to look back and see the look on her face.

Roman’s quarters weren’t far away, and Virgil didn’t have the time to fully think about what she was doing before she was at the door, and then inside Roman’s rooms. She had been too nervous to do this before, not wanting to overstep or invade on their space. But she was at her last resort, and Archdale’s too.

Virgil went to Roman’s desk first, because she knew that they kept a diary and well, desperate times and desperate measures go hand in hand. She’d been in here before, with Roman, and everything was always immaculate except the desk.

Right on top of the desk, there was a folded piece of paper with the words  _ For Virgil  _ on it. She hadn’t thought that Roman would leave a letter for just her. It was the only thing that might hint at where they were, although Virgil couldn’t banish the thoughts of it being a love note from her head. Must be the hour, it was so late.

_ Virgil- _

_ I’m really sorry, but I just got the chance to visit Canea. It might be my only chance for a long time to visit and learn about my mother, and it’s not like Epos told me anything. Please tell my advisors that they have full reign, if they haven’t taken it already. I shouldn’t be gone long. The thing is, Canea has a lot of magic that I want to bring back to Straith. Maybe it could help with our forest problem? Sorry once again. _

_ Love, Roman _

_ P.S: To my cabinet: If I die, appoint Corbin and Sloane Gaines as co-rulers in my stead. Do not destroy the Sorcery Department, whatever you do, and don’t get mad at Virgil for learning about this before you all. _

Virgil wanted to punch them, but she couldn’t deny the feeling of relief that washed over her.  _ Canea.  _ A concrete place, and certainty that they were alive. There was no way Canea would harm the child of their once-beloved princess. Now she just had to get there and drag them away from whatever they were doing in there.

One problem: she couldn’t leave Straith when there was a dragon on the loose. Fortunately, Virgil had friends.


	11. Patton

The next morning, Virgil burst into the bookstore ready to drop the bomb of news—she knew where Roman was, and she could possibly stop the dragon. Even on four-ish hours of sleep, it was the most alive she’d felt since before the dragon showed up in the woods.

Patton and Logan were much less surprised by the news than Virgil thought. They exchanged a look, Logan shrugged, and Patton agreed to go get Roman.

“Roman may have abandoned us, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to let them,” Patton said, his mind already made up. “Logan?”

“I don’t know, Patton... if my dads are going to be doing a bunch of stuff in the government, I need to stay here. Even though I’d love to go, really. Canea sounds absolutely fascinating, and the magic there is… _ remarkable.  _ However, I can’t make my fathers run a country and a bookstore at the same time. I’ll have Dominic, we’ll work it out. Virgil, did you ask any of the advisors what they’re supposed to do?” Logan asked, giving Patton a mournful look.

“I haven’t asked yet. I wanted to talk to you guys first. I know that whoever is succeeding the throne usually has to be present in the palace, so they can be protected. It’s why Roman couldn’t leave the castle very often when they were a prince,” Virgil said, chewing on the inside of her lip. “So it might be best if you…stayed.” Her eyes flicked to the window and back.

“Ok, that’s good to know. Patton, are you ok with getting Roman?” Logan asked, barely stopping himself from adding  _ on your own _ . Patton was competent and resourceful, but even so, Logan didn’t like the idea of him trekking across the country alone.

“Yeah, but isn’t there anyone from the castle who can come with me? Because otherwise, how am I even going to get there?”

“Take the North river, and you can take a boat from the little shed by the bay,” Virgil answered, looking out the window again. “I don’t think the castle can spare any staff, but you’ll be fine. Just take the royal seal, and go. We don’t have much time before people start to realize something’s up.”

“I think they’ve noticed already, Virge. You have  _ no  _ idea how many people have ranted about our incompetent government when I’m ringing up their books,” Logan said, giving Virgil a look of concern. “Who have you been talking to lately?”

“Nobody, that’s what happens when you’re trying to keep a goddamn dragon from destroying the city. And Rafaela won’t help me, because apparently she created this mess in the first place,” Virgil said, irritated. “Patton, leave right now if you can and you can get there by the afternoon. Get Roman back for us, please.”

“I’ll do my best, Virgil, as long as you keep our city safe. Keep studying dragons, and don’t lose your spirit. Roman may or may not be able to stop this problem. You’re all we’ve got for now. I believe in you.” He gave her a hug, a quick embrace to try and put meaning behind his words. 

Patton turned to his boyfriend. “Logan, I love you and you’re going to do amazing things someday but right now you’re just going to keep this bookstore running and stay alive, okay?” He gave Logan a quick peck on the lips, not wanting to linger because then he would never leave.

“Love you too, Patton,” Logan said, “I’ll check in with the orphanage for you, alright? And this isn’t goodbye yet, you still have to pack a bag.”

“Yeah. But I have to do that at light speed so I can get to Canea on time, and I don’t want to rush my goodbyes.” Patton managed to tear his eyes away from Logan and walked around the store to go up the stairs and throw something together, quick.


	12. Patton

This was new. Patton wasn’t a solitary person—he was as extroverted as they come—and he was used to having his friends at his side for things like this. Yet he’d said yes immediately to Virgil’s demand, because the kingdom needed a king. And truth be told, Roman’s friends needed them. It hadn’t been the same without them around, and in the face of the danger that was the dragon terrorizing the city, Patton wanted them all together.

He gathered up some clothes, a bit of money, and the royal seal that would let Patton get a boat from the docks. There wasn’t anything else Patton thought he would need, so he put it all in a bag and ran down the stairs and out the back door, keeping his head down. In all truthfulness, he was scared shitless, and it would only take one look at Logan for Patton to change his mind.

The boat shed was exactly where Virgil said it was, and, out of breath from running all the way there, Patton had no clue how he was going to work it. It was a small craft, a single-hull motorboat with two seats near the steering wheel. There was no helpful clue, no “press this button” that would help Patton figure it out.

Well, he had to try something. Patton stepped onto the boat, taking care not to fall in the water. He sat in what looked like the captain’s seat, and managed to find the place for the royal seal to go, in order to make the boat start. Patton pressed the small badge into the indentation, and a stream of purple energy washed over the boat.

Magic. “Patton Gaines, yes?” Rafaela’s voice came from all around Patton, and he wasn’t sure where to turn.

“Um, yeah. That would be me. Rafaela, what are you doing?” This was the same person who was refusing to stop the dragon terrorizing Archdale, even though if anyone could stop it, it would be her. That alone put Patton on guard.

The purple energy pulsed around Pattont. “You have  _ no  _ idea how to steer a boat, correct?”

“Correct.”

“I will steer the boat, then.” She sounded very self-assured, completely confident.

“Why? Why is this the thing you’re deciding to do?” Patton asked, directing his question at the purple fog around him. “You could be helpful in a lot of other ways, you know.”

“This is the only thing you can’t manage on your own, children of prophecy. And if I were to interfere in other ways, it is not without risks. Where do you wish to go?” she asked, patient as ever.

“The capital of Canea. Chanidy City. What do you mean it would be risky?” Patton wanted to know more, curiosity pushing him to ask yet another question.

“Hold on tight, Patton. Your boat is heading for Chanidy city in three, two, one.” The purple gas darted into the control board of the boat, a strand untying the rope tethering the boat to the dock.

Under his feet, the boat began to move. “What do you mean it would be risky, Rafaela?” Patton asked again, but the magic around him did not respond. He sat down in one of the chairs and watched the scenery fly by, wondering when things were going to be okay again. 

He wondered if there would ever be a day when things were okay again.


	13. Roman

Dinner in Canea was a lighthearted affair, much more casual than the day before but still a thousand times more relaxed than the structured evenings Roman had at home. There was no entertainment today, just conversation.

From across the table, Lilly handed Roman a folded newspaper. “I don’t know if you’ve been getting any news these past days, but you might want to check out what’s going on in Straith. If I was your advisor, I’d want you to know.”

Roman took another mouthful of their dessert, then unfurled the paper. “Thank you.” Scanning the headline, their mouth fell open.

Absent King Increases Panic

So...Virgil had not told their cabinet. Or she had, and— it didn’t matter. Roman’s absence was no longer a secret. There would be people after them soon. People that they knew, but likely those tasked with keeping Roman under control.

A quick skim of the article revealed that everyone was expecting Roman to do something. One quote from an anonymous source read, “Just because our king is a teenager doesn’t mean he can send his girlfriend out to fix this mess. This is the time to lead.”

Virgil had to be taking care of it, then, all on her own. Although she wasn’t Roman’s girlfriend, by any stretch of the imagination. Another article speculated about the absence of Rafaela, and Roman’s gut plummeted. They had to get back, and soon. Looking up from the newspaper, they wondered how they could get out. Escape. Get back to Straith as fast as possible.

“Let me guess, you didn’t actually put your affairs in order before you left Straith,” Lilly said, fixing them with an expression somewhere between motherly and bemused.

Sheepishly, Roman said, “Not…entirely.”

“If you were someone who had decades of ruling experience and pulled this stunt, I would be going off on you right now. But you’re a teenager, and I understand wanting to get away from the pressure,” Lilly said, stirring her tea.

Roman didn’t exactly know what to say. This was— well, they’d fully expected her to yell. To tell them off, and make Roman feel even worse than they, well, already did. They opened their mouth to say something, then closed it.

Lilly smiled at Roman. “So I’m going to not tell Mark that you abandoned your country, and you’re going to go meet with your friend who came a very long way, and is waiting for you out in the Summer courtyard. He’s a nice guy, and you’re fortunate to have friends like that right now. I will tell everyone that you have business to attend to in Straith and had to leave earlier than planned.”

“Can I just leave…now? Like right now? Won’t somebody…” Roman looked around nervously. “Notice?”

“I’ll tell them you had a stomach ache, okay? Go. Your people need you,” Lilly said. When Roman didn’t move, she sighed. “Okay, how about I walk you to the Summer courtyard to avoid suspicion?”

“Alright,” Roman said, getting up from their seat. They walked to the room’s exit, where Lilly waited. “Um, there’s this chest full of my mother’s letters, can I…?”

“I can mail it to you, Roman.” She ushered them out the door, and into the hallways of the palace. “You should probably focus on leading right now.”

“Okay, that works,” they replied, looking at the art on the walls one last time, missing it already. Lilly let them take their time, a silent yet supportive companion as they walked to the Summer Courtyard.

“We’re here,” Lilly said when the two reached the door to the courtyard. “Goodbye, Roman. I’ll miss you, and I hope you return under better circumstances.” She gave them a quick hug.

“I’ll miss you too, Lilly. I want to come back.” Roman could see Patton through the window, but they didn’t want to move. Their mother’s scarf felt tight around their neck, amplifying their discomfort with what they’d left behind in Straith.

“Visit us the second you’re free, alright?” Lilly said, leaving Roman at the door as she went back to dinner.

Taking a deep breath of warm summer air, Roman pushed open the door and started to walk over to where Patton was. They didn’t make it very far, since Patton got up and ran over the second he saw them.

“Roman, finally!” Patton didn’t give Roman the chance to speak, sweeping them up into a hug. “Are you alright? What happened? You know what, nevermind. We can talk about it on the way back.” The warm air of the courtyard, and the comfort of being held tight by someone familiar made Roman relax for the first time since he read that headline.

“I’m— I’m fine, Patton. Thank you for coming and getting me,” Roman said, breaking out of the hug with a brand new smile on his face. Fresh sunlight made Patton look even kinder than he usually did, and Roman was silently grateful for Patton coming for them.

They’d certainly take this over being chewed out by Virgil for leaving her to deal with the magical issue in Straith. Or Logan’s quiet disappointment, though Roman would have to face both of those when they returned to Straith. No, Patton was happy to see them and concerned about Roman’s well-being.

“Alright, let’s go. To the boat, Rafaela’s driving. Well, not exactly. Kind of. It’s weird,” Patton rambled, walking towards an open-air corridor leading out of the Summer courtyard. “This goes right to the docks, I think.” The warmth and sunshine of summer made way for the sharp winds and clouds of winter as the pair moved down the courtyard. Roman had a light cloak on, but they still felt the cold as the temperature dropped.

“How…how bad is it? Back in Archdale,” Roman said, keeping their head down as Patton led them through the crowded marketplace to the docks. They couldn’t afford to be distracted at a time like this.

“It’s only getting worse,” Patton said, approaching a small motorboat. “Virgil found out that the source of the problem is a magical creature, a dragon. She doesn’t know how to fix it, but initially she wanted you to make a speech to set people at ease. Now, you’ll probably need to figure out a way to contain it with her. She’s not exactly happy with you right now, to say the least.” Roman could only imagine.

“I’m guessing that Virgil is not the only person who is upset with me,” Roman said, following Patton into the boat. It started moving immediately, catching Roman off-guards. “Wait, how is the boat steering itself?”

“Rafaela. And there’s a long line of people who are upset with you, including me, Logan, your entire cabinet, and maybe all of Archdale, if not Straith,” Patton said, not sugarcoating the words. Roman knew what they’d done, and there was no reason why they shouldn’t know how it had affected others. He sat down on one of the chairs.

“Oh,” Roman said, sitting next to Patton. “I’m sorry, really. I just… I never knew my mom. So I wanted to see where she grew up, meet people she was close to. But I shouldn’t have left the second I got a letter from King Mark. The kingdom is— it’s my responsibility. I can’t abandon it without warning. I’ll be better. In the future.”

“Apology accepted. You’re going to need a better one for Virgil, though. Also, if you had by any chance found a way to stop the dragon while in Canea, tell her when you get back to Straith. She’s been running herself ragged, trying to keep the damage at a minimum,” Patton said, looking out at the river. He was grateful for the thick coat, since the wind was still bone-chilling. Roman shivered a little next to him, and Patton wondered if they missed their friends when in Canea.

“That’s… I’ll talk to her when I get there.” Roman fell silent, and Patton let them have their space. The pair watched in silence as the boat sped along, the sun eventually falling behind the horizon and making way for the stars.

When the castle of Straith came into sight, Roman stood up from their seat. “I miss my bed,” they said, to no one in particular.

“Good luck with getting past your cabinet,” Patton said, following Roman’s mournful gaze at the castle. “But they’re probably all asleep. We can sneak in quietly, and you can just go to bed. You’re going to need the rest, tomorrow’s going to be something.”

“Okay,” Roman replied, sitting back down. The boat slid into the port, and Rafaela’s magic tied it to a post before disappearing into the night. “Follow me, I know how to get around everyone.”

They cut the perhaps too familiar path to the servant’s passage that could take them to their rooms in a second. Patton trailed behind, looking at each tree like a ghost could come out at any moment. After several tense minutes of smoky cold breaths into the darkness and wordless communication, the two had made it past the guards. Roman sighed in relief, and walked to the door in the castle.

“Patton, you should go home. There’s a dragon out there,” Roman told their friend, knowing Logan and his dads had to be worried sick.

“See you in the morning then.” Patton gave them a sleepy hug, waved goodbye, and walked off into the darkness.

Roman enjoyed the warm embrace of the castle, and made their way down the passage and up the stairs without encountering anyone. Eyelids drooping, they pushed open the door to their quarters and-

Virgil stood in the doorway, just as tired as Roman, but her face so distraught that Roman wanted to hug her. They took a step forward, ready to explain and apologize, tell her that they might have a solution, give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be alright.

They didn’t get the chance, because Virgil stepped forward too and hugged Roman tight, like she never wanted to let go. Roman squeezed her back, wanting to tell her how sorry they were with just this one gesture. About a second after it got awkward, the two teenagers broke apart.

“So. You’re back,” Virgil said, not meeting their eyes.

Roman nodded. “Sorry it took so long.”

“You’re an idiot, rushing off to another country right when we really needed you.” She chewed the bottom of her lip, still looking at the floor.

“I know. I wish I’d…rescheduled that. What are you doing here?” Roman couldn’t really think of a good reason why Virgil would be in here, but their brain provided several unrealistic ones.

“I need to know if you can solve the dragon problem, and I need to know now,” Virgil said, looking Roman in the eye. “I can’t keep it at bay forever. I have ideas, but I need to know if you did anything useful when you abandoned everyone.”

There was a pause as Roman gathered their thoughts, flipping through the memories of the last three days. “There’s a place for magical creatures called Lyrwrithe. I don’t know if that will solve it, but a lot of the oopsies from accidental magic are kept there. It’s in Canea.”

“That’s—that’s good. I can use that. We can use that.” Virgil gave Roman a pointed look. “Talk to you in the morning?” She brushed past Roman to the hallway, looking to sleep in her own bed.

“Good night, Virgil.”

“Good night, Roman.”


	14. Roman

Something was pounding on Roman’s door. It wasn’t even light out yet, and the room was still dark. When it refused to stop, Roman got up, still in last night’s clothes because they’d been so tired, and opened the door. The red scarf was somewhere in their room, they couldn’t be bothered to look for it.

Their chief advisor, the only person outside of Roman’s cabinet who held any sort of power over them, was standing in the doorway, looking very unhappy with the king. “Your father is here,” he said, taking in Roman’s tired appearance. “While I am glad that you are back, there’s really no time. This is a pressing matter at hand.”

“My —what?” Roman asked, not even sure if they weren’t dreaming. Their father was away in a vacation home on the coast, insulated from all outward news as per Roman’s demand. There was no reason for their advisor to be standing here, in the middle of the night.

“Your father has arrived. Evidently, he caught wind of your legalizing magic and the chaos it has caused, and wishes to see you.”

Roman respected Camden. The man did the difficult, thankless job that was advising them, and he did it well, even if he was a bit robotic at times. He was one of Roman’s biggest supporters, although if he didn’t always show it. Nonetheless, Roman’s brain wasn’t functioning. “Ok, well um, can you tell him to wait until the sun is up?”

“He is the past king and your father, Roman. And he is very, very angry. Get dressed and be in the council room in ten minutes.” He smiled, then closed the door in front of a still half-asleep Roman.

So, Roman got dressed. It was dark, but it didn’t take long to put on something that looked about halfway to kingly. Not even bothering to look in the mirror, Roman went downstairs to the council room, still rubbing their eyes and unaware of how shocking their presence was to literally everyone they passed.

They reached the council room, taking a brief moment to attempt composure before opening the door and stepping inside. Roman gave the room a visual sweep, wondering who they had to ask to take over in order to get back to bed. That train of thought ground to a halt when Roman realized that no, it hadn’t been a joke.

Epos Theularus stood in the center of the council room, looking at Roman with disappointment practically radiating from his body. “Hello, Roman.”

“Father.” It was a statement, since they were still trying to figure out what was happening.

“I trust that I don’t need to explain to you how the chaos you’ve unleashed on Straith is a terrible mistake, and you will hand the throne over to me immediately, since I’m not so foolish as to actually legalize sorcery. Just show me to the throne room.” Epos stopped talking, waiting for Roman’s response. Judging by his tone, he expected a quiet “Yes, father.”

Well, even half-asleep Roman wasn’t that much of a pushover. “Actually, no. I’m the king of Straith, remember? And my actions have done a lot more good for everyone than you could ever imagine. So if you would, please go back to your lovely vacation home and leave me to deal with my own problems,” Roman said, staring their father down. This had to work, there was no way Roman could put up with their shitbag father for more than a few minutes without losing all the sanity they had.

“Actually, I have just as much of a claim to the throne as you do, Roman. Considering that I am the older member of the royal family, and gave up the throne voluntarily. I can always take it back,” Epos said, frowning and crossing his arms.

Roman kept glaring at him, too tired to do much more.“You gave it up. The throne, the kingdom is mine now. Right, Camden?”

“Well…” Camden began, looking down at his hands. “Roman, you are still a child in the eyes of the law, and considering that you are currently co-ruling with a cabinet, he can take the throne back. You could be relegated back to the status of prince, assuming that you willingly give your father his crown during the coronation ceremony.” He looked up at Roman, apology clear as day in his eyes.

“Exactly. Roman, I see no reason for you to object to this simple request. After all, I am not the king who allows magic to terrorize his capital city. I have a solution to that problem, which is eliminating all magic in the country. In fact, we could go before a judge and get the official ruling that would make me king due to your disrespect of time-honored traditions.”

“But I can solve the problem without eliminating magic,” Roman said, tilting their head. Checkmate. “There’s a place in Canea called Lyrwrithe. It’s a reserve for magical creatures, like the one that is the root cause of the magical problems Straith is having.”

Epos’s reaction to Roman’s mention of Canea was priceless. His face twisted, he opened his mouth to speak, but held back. “We should make a deal, son of mine. If you succeed with eliminating this danger within a week, the kingdom is yours and I will go on my merry way. If you do not succeed, sorcery becomes a crime punishable by death. The deaths start with your, ah ‘Head Sorcerer.’ I believe that’s what you called the lunatic you freed from the dungeons, yes?”

Taking in the nervous faces of their cabinet, Camden, nobles, and even the staff, Roman knew they had one choice. Neither of them were perfect kings, but Epos was a proven tyrant. “It’s a deal.” They stepped forward and shook hands with their father, knowing that this was a dangerous game.

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Roman. I can’t wait to take back my rightful throne in a week’s time.”

“Fine. So long as my choices for the crown can govern while we carry out our challenge.” Roman trusted Corbin and Sloane over their father in more or less every situation, and this was no exception. While they hated to put it on the couple, the two were the best people they could think of for the job.

They were wide awake now, and they had to talk to Virgil and Rafaela immediately. They left the council room without another word, cutting through the hallways of the castle to Rafaela’s quarters. The first goal here was to capture the dragon, put it in a cage that could at least be used to transport the creature. And the only way to do that was figure something out with Rafaela. Roman stopped in their quarters to grab a few things for the journey before heading to the Dragon Witch’s rooms. They made sure to grab their mother’s scarf—the last thing Roman wanted was for Epos to have it.

This plan was ambitious, but Roman knew it was the only way. They knocked on Rafaela’s door, slightly nervous. It was still very, very early.

Fortunately, she answered, with the dark eye circles of someone who was up late rather than awake early. “King Roman. What brings you here?” She didn’t open the door completely, wary of why Roman would be here at this early hour.

“Epos is back,” Roman said, giving her a second to process. “He caught wind of what I’m doing here and, well, it’s a long story. Can I come in?”

Rafaela let them in, sitting in one of the armchairs in her room, gesturing for Roman to take another. “Tell me everything, I assume we don’t have much time.”

Roman recounted everything that happened that morning, leaving out the night before but mentioning the preserve for magical creatures, Lyrwrithe. Rafaela took it in, growing more concerned as they continued.

“You need me to capture the dragon, yes?” She was matter of fact about it, and her gaze went to the books lying open on the floor of her room. “I can do that.”

“Great, that’s perfect. Can you do it now, or…?” Roman asked, bouncing a little with the first excitement they’d felt this morning.

“I can give you the trap. You need Virgil to set it, I can’t approach the creature. Get her, and by the time the two of you come back, it will be ready.” Rafaela stood up and began gathering books, flipping through them and placing magical bookmarks at important parts. “Go.”

Finding Virgil wasn’t too difficult, she was still asleep. Roman woke her up gently, and had to explain everything once again. Before long, she was awake enough to realize that they had to move now, or Virgil would be stuck cleaning up after the dragon for who knows how long. As a side effect, Laurus also woke up, which was adorable. Both Roman and Virgil could have watched the tiny dragon make adorable snuffly noises for hours, but they didn’t have the time. Virgil set Laurus on her shoulders and they left her quarters.

The pair raced back to Rafaela’s quarters, focused on getting that trap. Virgil burst into Rafaela’s room, much to Roman’s surprise. “Rafaela, you can stop the dragon? With us?” she asked, daring to hope.

“I can give you the trap and send you on your way,” Rafaela said, still fidgeting with some sort of magical device. Much like the still-sleeping Laurus, she was unaffected by Virgil’s entrance. “I myself cannot be near the dragon, and using my magic against it could prove fatal. But I can give you the means to trap it yourself.” She held up the fist-sized device in her hand.

Virgil’s face fell, and she focused on the thing in Rafaela’s hand. “How does it work?”

Rafaela handed her the small contraption of gray metal. “It’s very simple. Find the dragon, and keep it in one place with a freezing spell or something similar. Then, give the device a shot of your magic—not a spell, just a bit of sorcery— and throw it at the dragon.”

“Okay, got it,” Virgil said, turning the device over in her hands.

“Can I come along?” Roman asked.

The Dragon Witch’s harsh gaze scanned them. “I suppose, just stay out of the way. The dragon shouldn’t care about you, you’re irrelevant. It cares about Virgil, though, she looks so much like me.”

Unsure as to what she should say, Virgil nodded.

“We should get going,” Roman said, swallowing their questions and hoping this all worked out well.

Roman and Virgil walked outside, only to find that it was still dark. That was winter, especially here in Straith. The darkness had one advantage: when they looked at the city, it was immediately clear where the dragon was. On the outskirts of town, a small puff of blue flame would reappear, only to disappear again.

“It’s…sleeping?” Virgil half-asked, looking to Roman for reassurance.

“Yep.”

Without another word— it was way too early for words, after all— the two walked towards the dragon. Virgil did her best to keep her footsteps quiet, knowing that it would be easier to trap a sleeping dragon than an awake one. Her dragon rested around her shoulders, a comfortable weight. She hoped Laurus stayed that way, there was no telling how he would react to the much larger dragon currently terrorizing Archdale.

After an uncertain period of time, they reached the dragon. Roman almost gasped aloud at the sheer size of the beast, stopped only by Virgil’s hand on their mouth. They stood stock still as Virgil approached the sleeping creature carefully, making sure that it was still sleeping after each hesitant step.

Its head twitched up, a bloodred iris looking out on them. Virgil raised her hand, not sure what spell to use. The jolt of anxiety in her stomach propelled itself out through her outstretched fingers and hit the dragon in the eye. The eye snapped shut, and the dragon fell back asleep, even more deeply than before.

Roman startled as a puff of dragon breath interrupted the darkness of night. “Is it… asleep?”

Virgil nodded, shushing them, then dug Rafaela’s trap out of the pocket in her cloak. Holding her breath, she sent a jet of purple magic into the contraption. When the dragon kept sleeping, Virgil threw the device. For a second, it didn’t look like anything had happened. The bundle of metal and magic just sat on top of the dragon, doing nothing. Her sleeping spell had to be more powerful than usual.

Then, purple streaks of magic engulfed the dragon, moving across it to create a translucent purple bubble. The dragon still slept. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After a minute or two of looking at the dragon and feeling very happy that it was caught, a large error in their plan dawned on the pair. “How are we going to put that on a ship?” Roman asked, “Can you like, shrink it?”

Virgil considered it for a second —that was one big dragon —and decided that she could. “Yeah, I can make it smaller. It’s not an easy spell, but at least undoing it is simple.” She pointed her fingers at the purple bubble and focused, pouring the emotions that had resurfaced in Roman’s chambers last night into stretching the very boundaries of space and matter. It took a lot of concentration for approximately six in the morning, but Virgil pushed her magic to its limit, and the dragon shrunk before her eyes.

“Let’s go,” Virgil said, and Roman didn’t question it. She levitated the dragon and its carrier so that it followed just behind them, and the pair made their way to the docks. Every so often, she looked back to make sure it was still asleep.

Thankfully, one of the sailors at the dock had caught wind of Roman’s quest, and was more than happy to help them get to Canea. She was already delivering a shipment to Chanidy City, so Roman and Virgil sat quietly in the cabin of the ship and tried to get some sleep.


	15. Roman

The sun was peeking over the clouds when the ship arrived at port in Chanidy City. Roman and Virgil woke up when the voices of the sailors above them became loud and energetic, the rare sun waking everyone up. After thanking the ship’s captain, the pair left the ship, Virgil levitating the dragon above them. It still slept, deep in the trance Virgil had crafted. Laurus decided to perch on Roman’s shoulder, deciding it was the best view when their owner was occupied. The little dragon slept peacefully in the boat, and he was happy to feel the sun shining on his scales again.

Roman had warned her about the crowded market before they left, and neither the early hour nor the cold wind had dissuaded merchants and customers alike from filling the space.

“So, where do we go from here?” Virgil asked, taking in the bustling marketplace and magical chaos of Canea. “I assume we need to go to the palace and get someone to help us find Lyrwrithe.”

“Yeah, basically. I know people there, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. The palace is right there.” Roman pointed. It was within walking distance, but not an enjoyable one. “I have the royal seal of Straith for identity purposes, and I met the king. They have to let me in,” Roman said, although without Tyler by their side, they felt less certain.

“Okay,” Virgil said. She looked at the market once more. “Is it okay if we go slowly? I know we’re on a tight schedule, but I’ve never seen this much magic before.”

“Sure. We’ve got the time, just don’t take all day,” Roman answered. They remembered the first time they saw this market, how overwhelming everything had been. Now, knowing what it was like, the market was less overwhelming, but only a little.

Virgil talked to several of the vendors, curious about everything. Though the dragon she carried would have stood out anywhere else, nobody batted an eye. A dragon breeder even asked her if she was selling. Virgil asked them about containing dragons, and was told that her sleep spell and perfectly made trap would hold it, but to add another sleep spell for good measure. She asked the woman selling portable balls of light what the spell was, and quickly learned that those sorts of things were trade secrets.

Watching Virgil experience it all was almost better than seeing it for the first time to Roman. They admired her curiosity—not just at the more outlandish things, but at things as ordinary as soap and mood rings that worked with magic. She took all the free samples and trinkets that the stands had to offer, and demonstrated her sorcery abilities when asked “Are you a sorcerer?” No one pressed her about her age, and many commented on Laurus’s cuteness, as if Roman wasn’t holding onto him half the time. She laughed, and was more friendly and social than they’d ever seen her before.

Roman didn’t mind being ignored, but as noon approached, they knew that, in the interest of time, it would be best to get going. “We should head to the castle soon,” they said, trying to gently nudge Virgil away from the market.

“Okay, I’m going to buy a book or two first,” Virgil said, heading to a spellbook vendor. She gave the merchant a few coins for a handsome leather-bound volume, and they were off to the palace.

Unlike Straith, there weren’t any guards around the perimeter, so Roman circled the palace in search of a front entrance. After what seemed like forever— they were both getting hungry— Roman found a small corridor that led into some offices. Roman knocked on the door to one of them, which opened to reveal an unfriendly sorcerer, a cloud of brilliant yellow-white energy surrounding him.

“What do you want?” he said, looking from one of them to the other. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“I’m King—Prince Roman, I’m looking for King Mark. This is my good friend, she’s a sorcerer.” Virgil gave a small wave and smile, not sure what to do.

“Well, if you want the king, maybe you shouldn’t be in  _ here _ ,” the sorcerer said. He took a deep breath, steadying himself to give them a telling-off to go with his glare.

“It’s okay, Matt, they’re with me.” Roman and Virgil spun around to see a tall girl with multicolored hair, turning from orange to turquoise before their eyes. The sorcerer grumbled and closed the door, muttering something about kids these days.

Jessie watched the door close, then turned to the two teenagers. “Roman, what are you doing here? Not that it’s bad to see you, of course, but I didn’t think you would just show up. And who is this?” She pointed at Virgil, looking between the two of them as if trying to puzzle out something. Laurus curled around Roman’s feet, looking up at Jessie with wide-eyed curiosity.

“We’re here to get that dragon— “ Roman pointed to the purple bubble, where the gray dragon inside was, thankfully, slumbering. “To Lyrwrithe, the place you told me about. The thing is, my father wants to kind of…take back the kingdom. He said that I’m unfit to rule because I let that dragon terrorize Archdale, but I managed to negotiate. If I can get the dragon to Lyrwrithe and keep it from terrorizing anyone else within the week, I get to stay king. If I don’t, he —he makes sorcery illegal again. Virgil is um, she’s a sorcerer.”

“Okay,” Jessie said, and Roman could see her thinking it through. “You said you had a week, right?”

“Yeah, so we kind of do need to leave today,” Virgil said, biting her lip. “Any help would be good.”

“I remember Epos’s reign,” Jessie said. A cloud passed over her face, and her hair turned gray. “And I don’t really have anything pressing to do this week, and I know Tyler is really busy. You guys just have to get to Lyrwrithe and back, right?”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, and we need some supplies, but nothing fancy. We were thinking of just taking the Graelen River, all we’d need is a boat and someone to sail it.” They looked at Jessie expectantly, hoping that she could help, or Rafaela was as good as dead.

Jessie took a deep breath, gathering herself. “I don’t want to get your hopes up,” she started, uncertain. “But I might be able to guide you guys there. I do have family that work at Lyrwrithe,  _ but  _ I need to talk to the king first. I can’t just abandon the palace, but I definitely think the world is a better place when Straith allows magic. Plus, I haven’t seen my brother in a while… I’ll talk to Mark, okay? No promises.”

“Thank you so much,” Virgil said, without a touch of sarcasm. “Um, is there anything here to eat?”

“Employee breakroom. Go straight, take a left, second door on your right,” Jessie said, “I’ll go ask the king. See you in an hour or so.” She waved goodbye, and walked to the nearest stairwell, hair changing to electric blue.

Roman and Virgil didn’t have any difficulty finding the break room, and they dug into the soup someone had brought from home. “What’s the book about?” Roman asked Virgil, trying to make conversation to pass the time. They slipped Laurus a piece of meat, knowing the little dragon had to be hungry. He gulped it down.

“History of sorcery,” Virgil answered, turning the volume over in her hands. “It’s got some cool spells in it, too, that’s what the lady said. I… do you mind if I read it now? Just sitting around and waiting makes me anxious.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind,” Roman said, even though there was nothing for them to do. “You don’t have to ask me.”

Virgil opened up her book and started reading. “Cool.”

Since Roman hadn’t slept well in the boat, and they certainly couldn’t sleep well now, they had seconds of the soup, and tried to look inconspicuous as various people came in and out of the break room. Fortunately, Laurus and the grey dragon helped them fit in, this  _ was  _ the sorcery wing after all.

Going by the clock on the wall, it was about forty minutes before Jessie came for them. She almost ran over to them, a wide smile on her face as she crossed the room to the pair. Virgil looked up from her book when she saw Jessie, looking at her hopefully.

“So, I have good news and bad news,” Jessie said, sitting down next to Roman. “Which do you want first?”

Roman perked up, Laurus running up from their lap to the table. “Good news,” they said.

“No, bad news first,” Virgil said, picking up her dragon and taking him off the table. “Whatever. Just tell us.”

“I can take you guys to Lyrwrithe, but not until tomorrow,” Jessie said, patting Laurus on the head. “You can stay here tonight—there’s some guest rooms—and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Roman said, a flutter of hope leaping in their chest. “That’s almost perfect. Do we get to eat dinner with the king?”

“Wait, that’s an option?” Virgil asked, looking terrified at the prospect.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourselves, Mark will be busy with other engagements tonight. I think you’ll just get food delivered to your rooms,” Jessie said, her hair shifting from deep black to platinum blond as she twirled it around her finger. “In fact, I can take you to your guest rooms right now, unless you want to spend more time outside the palace.”

“Can we drop our things off at our rooms and then leave?” Virgil asked, running her fingers over the cover of her book. Roman wasn’t big on the idea of going back out into the cold, but with Virgil it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Sure, I can give you a tour, too, Virgil. If you want, that is,” Jessie said, carding her hand through her hair.

“Oh, I think I’d rather visit the market, sorry,” Virgil said, blushing a little with embarrassment. “Let’s go to our um, rooms.”

“Sounds good to me,” Roman said. “To the market we go.”


	16. Rafaela

Rafaela counted herself lucky that she was not currently imprisoned. She’d never gotten to know Epos, nor did she want to, but he reminded her of her father in all of the worst ways. So, she heeded Camden’s advice to stay out of the ex-king’s way, keeping to her rooms, and the few familiar corridors.

The castle had been changed and redone countless times since Rafaela was locked away, but there was still a hallway or two. Nobody but her really used them, so on a day like today, when she was too worried about the fate of her young apprentice to think, she walked through them, trailing her fingers along the plaster that had stood for a century.

It was nice, and it was pleasant. It quickly became much less pleasant. Because, as Rafaela admired an old portrait, she was approached by no other than the former king himself, Epos Theularus.

“So, sorcerer scum, what back alley did my son drag you out of?” he asked her, with the air of a man who had been puffed up his whole life.

She didn’t realize what he had asked at first, a stubborn part of her mind refusing to acknowledge him. The words set in as her fingertips traced the golden frame of her mother’s portrait. “Your dungeons.” Rafaela’s tone was cold, the meaning clear but also not. Like a frosted windowpane.   
  


“I don’t remember you,” Epos stated. “I remember all of the sorcerers I have sentenced to rot behind bars, and you are not one of them.” He inched closer to her, and her magic reacted, purple spikes forming around her.

“You don’t have the power to imprison me, you know nothing of sorcery,” Rafaela replied, refusing to look at him, eyes falling to the floor tiles.

“Then who? Who could imprison such a beast, capable of corrupting my son and my country?” Epos’s voice rose, and she flinched despite herself.

“Your great-great grandfather, I believe. Back when sorcery was allowed, they had methods to imprison me. You don’t have a chance.” It was a statement, and not one to be contested.

Epos cleared his throat, eyes shifting as he figured out how to steer the conversation away from things he knew nothing about. “What do you know of my son? Why would he be possessed to save your evil craft of sorcery?”

“Roman is a brave person. They —he wishes to make this kingdom the best it can be, though he finds its burden difficult to shoulder. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and I don’t doubt his ability to rule. Oh, and your son has a rebellious streak a mile wide, which is only matched by his capacity to be kind. I wish he could take the helm of king only when he is ready, but seeing how the country was ruled before him, I see why he has sat on the throne prematurely,” Rafaela said, conditioning her voice to not show a hint of fear, of apprehension. Everything she said was true, but it would not seem that way to Epos. She knew how the royal men of Straith were raised, and even a century could not change the entitlement that shaped her father.

“I don’t see why he would be a good ruler, if he would allow the plague of sorcery to take root in this country. No, Rafaela, though you have been deluded, I must assure you that Roman is an immature teenager playing at things that he doesn’t understand. He may have delusions of heroics and grandeur, but underneath it all he is a boy playing dress-up as a king. Do you know how long I have ruled?” Epos said it all with a smile on his face, trying to convince Rafaela. He thought she would be easy to trick, she had to disagree.

She gave him a sweet, polite smile. The type Rafaela used in her youth when courting princes she did not care about, the type that fell off her face quickly. “I do not think that years are a measure of leadership, but what one does with those years. True intentions speak much louder than words, and Roman’s are those of hope and love. Your intentions are for power, nothing more.”

“You will have to eat those words someday,  _ sorcerer _ .” He spit the title at her, then walked away.

Rafaela stayed where she was, wondering what Virgil was up to now. Talking with tyrants wasn’t her cup of tea either, and Rafaela missed her apprentice more than ever.


	17. Virgil

Finally, Virgil got to relax. She was in one of the palace’s guest rooms, settling into the unfamiliar covers. An eternal fire burned at the foot of her bed, and Roman was in the room over. It was the closest thing to calm she could get in this crazy situation.

The dragon was safely contained, and she’d started referring to it as Gray. It made the creature seem like less of a threat, and more of a misunderstood animal. Virgil had eaten a full dinner, and discussed with Jessie what would happen tomorrow. Laurus was curled into her side, snoring peacefully.

So why couldn’t she fall asleep? Maybe it was because the shadows the fire cast on her ceiling turned into dangers and dragons. Or it was the covers shifting to keep her perfectly warm no matter how she moved. There was the faint purple glow of Gray’s cage coming from next to her bed. Her pajamas didn’t fit her quite right.

Or maybe, she felt like the weight of countless lives was on her shoulders, and there was no one else to share the burden. Time was of the essence, how could she be sleeping? There were a thousand things that could go wrong, and she hadn’t prepared for any of them. Five days to get to Lyrwrithe and back to Chanidy City. A half day to get back to Archdale. That left a day and a half for any slip-ups, and she and Roman had already used up a day.

Virgil tried to stop doing the math in her head, imagining everything that could go wrong, and how they would be completely, utterly screwed in most of these what-ifs. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, she should talk to someone. Vent her feelings, release her emotions in order to drift off into calm, peaceful sleep.

As if there was anyone she could talk to. Who else would understand how she was feeling? Who else was dealing with this very specific, yet very important, problem? It’s not like people advertised when they went on quests to save people. She certainly hadn’t with Roman the first time, when they tried to stop the prophecy.

Right, Roman. The person who was in this with Virgil. The friend who was probably just as lost as she was. If there was anyone else awake at this hour wondering about tomorrow, it was Roman. She weighed the pros and cons of waking them up for a second before deciding that anything was better than lying in bed and staring at the ceiling.

Taking care not to disturb the snoring Laurus, Virgil eased her way out of bed and padded over to Roman’s room. The door was open, and she stood there awkwardly for a second, realizing that there was a very good chance Roman was asleep, and she was just being weird.

“Roman,” she said into the quiet room, “are you awake?” Virgil waited, hoping she was loud enough for them to hear.

“Yeah, Virgil?” Roman asked. She could see their fuzzy figure sit upright in the bed.

“I can’t sleep, do you mind if I come in and talk for a bit?” Not knowing what to do with herself. Virgil leaned against the doorframe.

Roman could only imagine how tired she must be. “Sure, come on in.” They patted the spot of bed next to them, inviting her to sit down.

Virgil sat down next to them, slumping into the headboard. “Why are we here again?”

“What do you mean?”

“On the road, stressed out, trying to stop something that is probably inevitable,” Virgil said, turning her head to rest on Roman’s shoulder.

“This time it’s just us, though. No Logan and Patton to worry about.” Roman rested their head against Virgil’s, sighing.

“I kind of miss them already.”

“Me too.”

They contemplated it together for a bit, then Virgil said, “Pretty sure Logan wouldn’t have let us stop at the market, though.”

“And Patton would have had a thousand questions for Jessie,” Roman said, a smile crossing their face at the thought, though Virgil couldn’t see it.

“Not that having two less people makes this whole thing any less stressful.”

“If anything, it’s more stressful. I mean, it’s just the two of us this time around. None of Logan’s brilliance, or Patton’s ability to make everyone get along.”

Roman let that thought sink in before asking, “Are you cold?”

“Not too much.”

“Here.” They lifted the bedsheet, and Virgil put her lower body under the covers, missing Roman’s warmth the second she took her head off their shoulder.

“My legs feel a lot warmer now,” Virgil said, feeling herself relaxing. “Do you mind talking to me? I can go back to my room, I don’t want to keep you up.”

“No, no. Stay. I couldn’t really fall asleep either, and this beats being alone with my thoughts,” Roman said, looking up and then back down at Virgil.

“Yeah, because everybody loves thinking about worst case scenarios for the morning when they know they should be sleeping,” Virgil said, yawning.

“Why do we never think about the best-case scenarios?” Roman asked, to themself and Virgil.

“What do you mean?”

“Like, why is it that at night, when you’re in bed thinking about tomorrow, your brain never thinks about all the ways it could go right? I mean, we could get put on the fastest ship in the kingdom, speed to Lyrwrithe, where we free the dragon into its perfect environment. Then, we stay for a few days learning about magic because we have the time, Laurus finds other dragons like him, maybe even a best friend—”

“Your best-case scenario included Laurus finding a best friend?” Virgil asked, somewhat judgemental. She waited a second, then laughed, shaking her head. “Keep going.”

“Okay, Laurus finds a best friend, we learn that Epos is wanted for murder or something in Canea, so he’s out of our hair,” Roman animated everything with their hands, growing excited about this make-believe future. “You learn everything there is to know about sorcery, and by the time we’re heading back on this really fast sailboat you know more than Rafaela. They throw a big feast for us here when we get back, because we can finally, you know, get rid of my dad. So we head back, finish what my mother started, and we live happily ever after.” Roman folded their hands in their lap, satisfied with the story.

Virgil thought it over for a second, and figured that thinking about that was better than the worst-case scenarios. “I mean that’s highly unrealistic, but…”

“But what? Would you rather think about dying and failing?”

“No, no. I don’t want to—” Virgil stopped talking, not wanting to entertain those ideas any more than she had to. Subject change. She needed to change the topic. “What do you mean, finish what your mother started?” Roman rarely brought up their mother, and she knew it was a sensitive subject.   
  


“Oh. Yeah, that. I went through some of her old letters in Canea, and well, she didn’t really love my dad. She married him as part of a plot to help take him down and keep him from, you know, tyranny,” Roman said, feeling the emotions surrounding those letters brushing past them. They knew the chest with Madeline’s old things was somewhere in the palace.

“That’s awful to find out, Roman, I’m sorry,” Virgil said, reaching her hand over to hold theirs. She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for, but comforting Roman was the least she could do.

“I mean, it’s not a surprise. He’s awful. I always wondered how she could have married him. I try to hold onto what little of her that I have, because I don’t want to turn out like Epos, anything could be better. Reading the letters was refreshing, I guess. To know that she was a good person, and that well, she loved me. She wrote about me before I was born, and I still hold onto the scarf she made.” Roman fell silent, knowing that they could go on forever. And sleep was already settling on their eyes, telling them to let go of the thoughts inside their head and escape into dreams.

But Roman knew that with Virgil here, their closest confidant, there were very few limits to what they would tell her. There was something about how they trusted her—and, they hoped, how she trusted them—that made Roman feel safe, at home. Maybe it was that she was Roman’s first real, true best friend, maybe it was that she was letting Roman’s words sit in silence right now, lending them the meaning and value Roman gave them.

Maybe it was that her hand still rested on theirs. “I think we both need some sleep,” Virgil finally said, leaning her head on Roman’s shoulder.

The two of them kept talking after that, but their words were lost to the fog of memories made late at night.


	18. Virgil

It was still dark when Virgil woke up. She couldn’t remember why, the traces of her dream taking flight the second her eyes opened. The idea of getting up was far off in her mind, not when she was this warm, what must be Laurus nudged against her side.

How had she fallen asleep, anyways? The last thing Virgil remembered was insomnia, racing thoughts. So she’d gotten out of bed, and come into…Roman’s room. Where she’d talked with them for a while before falling asleep and… 

Oh. That was definitely Roman’s head. Virgil reconsidered her stance on staying in bed. The last thing she wanted was somebody to come in here to wake Roman up and find her. She was certain that that would be mortifying. Taking care not to disturb her sleeping friend, Virgil got out of the bed and tiptoed back to her room.

Well, at least she’d gotten some sleep. Still half-awake, Virgil went back to sleep—in her bed, this time. Laurus had taken over the middle of her bed, so she pushed him to the side and settled in.

***

Jessie woke her up in the morning, throwing the room into light, and she got up in record time. For the first time since the dragon had showed up in Straith, she had a good night of sleep, and most of it was due to Roman. Somehow, around them, she had just…calmed down. She supposed that talking about her problems (for once in her life) helped, but maybe there was something else.

It was ridiculously early when she woke up, and Jessie appeared to have slept well. Their rainbow-haired chaperone rambled about how excited she was to go on this adventure, and how much she missed her family. Having nothing better to do than awkwardly interact with Roman, Virgil joined in, surprised to find herself with enough energy to match the bounce in Jessie’s step. Laurus was much more tired, opting for Roman’s shoulder over hers.

Their bags were already packed and taken away to the ship, which meant that they were going to get to do “all sorts of team-building activities!” in Jessie’s words when they all met the captain of the ship. As much as Virgil found Jessie to be endearing, the thought of talking to Roman in front of other people was enough to make her hurl herself off the side of the ship. She focused on carrying Gray’s case down the path to the docks first.

Fortunately, their captain, who introduced himself as Mac, was not interested in team-building activities. 

“I have places to be, and I don’t have the time to play games when it is still nighttime and I have stuff to do,” he said when Jessie suggested it, hands on his hips and eyebrows fully raised. “You can go hang out in the cabin, unless you want to freeze out here.”

Before Roman or Jessie could suggest anything, Virgil was down the hatch and making a beeline for the cargo. Setting down her magical dragon carrier on the wooden floor, she cast all the spells she could think of to keep the dragon asleep and the case in place. Once it was all done, Virgil sat behind a box marked FRAGILE and stared at the countless packages in front of her like they were going to tell her the answers she hadn’t even asked herself.

Well, Virgil supposed a good start to getting answers from something other than clearly non-sentient boxes would be asking herself questions. She started with the obvious— why was she being so weird about last night? It wasn’t like she’d never shared a bed with anyone before, as Missy and Jest could attest, and though she wasn’t unfamiliar to paranoia over simple social situations, this was ridiculous.

Roman was her best friend, and Virgil couldn’t even look them in the eye. Had something crazy happened last night that her very subconscious was protecting her from? No, it couldn’t be. All she remembered was asking Roman if she could come in, then settling herself in next to them, how she’d felt like she was intruding, but they had assured her she wasn’t. It had been so nice, holding their hand, and not feeling alone in her struggles. She remembered smiling at their stories and laughing even when it wasn’t funny, just because she loved them.

Hold up. She loved Roman? Well, certainly as a friend. But just thinking about the many ways that the sticky word “love” was used made her contemplate if her feelings for Roman were anything other than platonic. The more she rolled the thought around her head, the more Virgil realized that she wasn’t opposed to the idea of kissing them, or holding their hand. In fact, she’d be okay with a date, maybe a nice restaurant. She wouldn’t mind a long walk with just the two of them either.

Virgil widened her eyes, staring down the boxes in front of her as if to silently impart the one thought running through her head. I have a crush on Roman. It was a relief to figure it out, but it also created a new batch of problems. Which she would rather talk to Roman again than think about, which was saying something. Before anxiety could take root in her head, she got up from the hard floor of the ship and moved back towards where she’d came in, seeking a distraction.

She made her way back easily enough—this wasn’t a very big ship—and saw Roman and Jessie sitting on chairs in the cabin of the boat, talking. They stopped when she walked in.

“Hey guys,” Virgil said, trying to remember how words worked. “Um, are we going to eat breakfast soon?”

“Yeah, in an hour. There’s a tiny kitchen around here somewhere, but we’re not supposed to use it. Jessie and I were just talking about it, actually,” Roman said, giving Virgil one of their easy smiles.

“Sounds good, I don’t know if I can wait much longer, it feels like I’ve got a miniature dragon clawing at my insides,” Virgil said, noting that her purple dragon was curled up in Roman’s lap. 

Roman laughed, and Virgil felt the flutter in her chest. Noticing it startled her—usually, she didn’t notice the quickening of her heart around Roman— but not anymore. “How’s the dragon, by the way? Is it safe? I don’t want it getting out on the boat.”

“I worked some sorcery so that it won’t roll around in the hold, and I gave it another sleep spell. It’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” Virgil said, trying to comfort them the best she could.

Something in her tone must have been off, though, because then Roman asked, “Are you okay?” Their eyes spoke volumes, referencing the night before.

Virgil looked at them, at her friend who had stuck with her through everything, who had been the first to hear the secrets she kept closest. She could see the concern for her woven into their face, feel how much they cared. There was no way that Virgil would let her crush create a divide between her and them.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little out of it.” She had to tell them about her feelings.


	19. Virgil

Well, Virgil had to tell them her feelings at  _ some  _ point. Which was not going to be that day, when they coped with seasickness and she stared at the passing riverbank. Or the next day, because then they were  _ both  _ too nervous about making it to Lyrwrithe.

It was midday, the sun burning bright on the ship, known as the  _ Dark Thought _ . If you leaned over the railing just enough, and took care not to fall off, shining silver lettering spelled the words out on the hull. Jessie had done that several times today, being the only passenger on board who wasn’t seasick.

She ran across the dock to where Virgil and Roman were standing at midday. “I’ve taken this route dozens of times,” she told Virgil, a cheery smile still on her face. “You get used to it.”

“I’m sure you do,” Virgil said, wondering if Jessie actually  _ was  _ a mermaid, the way that she looked so happy at sea. Almost as if, like the poor sailors of legend, she would drag Virgil down into the river and leave her to die.

At least then, Virgil wouldn’t have to deal with Roman’s seasickness. Her friend was much less attuned to being on a boat, especially one this big. She knew they’d never been on a ship for a long period of time, and well, were overall sensitive and royal.

“I don’t like boats,” Roman said after Jessie bounded to the other side of the ship.

Virgil rolled her eyes at them. “Suck it up, princess. Some little choppy waves aren’t going to kill you.”

“What if they do, Virgil? What then?” Roman widened their eyes, as if trying to persuade her with just a gaze.

“Then it’ll be just me and Jessie on this hellcraft of a ship. Oh, and Epos will take over back in Straith. So basically, life will suck. Fortunately, the waves won’t kill you,” Virgil said, giving Roman her best look of disappointment.

“Random question—do you like Jessie?” Roman asked, dropping the part of their seasickness that was an act. They leaned close, as if exchanging secrets.

“She’s pretty cool, I guess. I don’t know her that well yet, but I don’t  _ dis _ like her,” Virgil said, confused as to why Roman was asking in an undertone.

“No, do you  _ like  _ her?”

A thousand lines of thought in Virgil’s head knotted together, and she recalled one of their lunches back at Straith. She’d nervously rambled about finding girls cute, wondering if the cashier at the brand-new apothecary liked her. Which reminded her of liking Roman, which reminded her that she was going to tell them at some point here…what was the question again?

Oh right, Jessie. “Nah, she’s not really my type,” Virgil said, knowing that the blush rising in her cheeks had nothing to do with Jessie. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious, I guess. You talked to her a lot this morning,” Roman said, shrugging it off. “Ugh, I feel like I’m going to barf.”

“Do it over the railing,” Virgil told them. She looked out at the passing shore, wondering for the millionth time today if the ship would reach Lyrwrithe in time. Or if the dragon was safe in the hold. She hadn’t checked on it since yesterday, when she’d been even more seasick than now, not to mention confused about her feelings.

Letting go of the railing that had been steadying her, Virgil tried to pretend the floor wasn’t spinning under her. She walked down to the cargo hold, wondering as she did how Laurus was faring. The little dragon hadn’t been enjoying the boat, and had been hiding in and around the cargo since yesterday.

Retracing her steps from the day before, Virgil found the purple bubble sitting where she had left it. Which would be fine, and normal, except that the dragon was moving beneath it.

Memories of blue flames and ruined buildings flashed in Virgil’s mind, and she stepped much more slowly towards the beast. It looked at her and snarled, blue flame turning the purple surface black for a second. She cast a quick sleep spell on the dragon, and its movements became more sluggish. The fire stopped.

Virgil still couldn’t exhale, since it was still  _ awake _ . Mustering all her frustration at seasickness and the ridiculous demands of Epos, she thought about sleeping well and  _ not  _ sleeping in the same bed as Roman. Gray curled into a ball at the bottom of the floor, unmoving like the gargoyle it so resembled. 

She reapplied the spells that kept the dragon carrier from sliding around the hold, figuring it was better safe than sorry. Wondering where Laurus was, Virgil sent out a bolt of magic to search for him. It bounced back to her in a minute, telepathically transmitting Laurus’s message. He was fine, but didn’t want to move.

It was warmer down here, so Virgil stayed. The cots for her, Roman, and Jessie were set up nearby, but it was too early. In the meantime, she sat in the warmth, hoping that they would reach Lyrwrithe tomorrow morning.


	20. Rafaela

Rafaela knew that she was playing a dangerous game. Spitting in Epos’s face— whether literal or metaphorical— wasn’t the best idea with Roman away. She hoped that they and Virgil were okay, and that they’d be back within the week.

Even if they did, calling Epos a man of his word was an insult to the very phrase, and Rafaela did not trust the former king’s intentions with the castle. Virgil and Roman were perhaps safer with a dangerous dragon than inside Archdale’s castle. It was the way that he ordered everyone around, the threats he tossed about to anyone “misbehaving.” The servants got the worst of it, but no one escaped unscathed.

“I will be king soon, and I could have you hung from the castle gates. Keep that in mind.”

“My son may rule with a weak hand, but mine can quickly form a fist.”

And, the most terrifying, “Swear your loyalty to me when the week ends, and you will have a chance at forgiveness.”

She found him badgering the librarian for the books on magic, heard his voice raise through the walls. Before she could do anything, attempt to hide the crucial volumes, Epos found the books on Solus stone. He stroked a finger down its spine, and a chill ran up Rafaela’s. This meant nothing good.

There were conferences with the military. He ignored Corbin and Sloane like they were paintings on the wall, refusing to acknowledge their existence, as if they were by nature an extension of Roman’s rule. Every time Rafaela talked to the couple, they were wary of Epos.

Last night, he had called a dinner for all the nobility in the castle without talking to her, any advisors who were behind Roman, or Corbin and Sloane. She had taken her meals in her room as per usual, and was startled by the animated chatter that echoed through the halls when the dinner let out. The meal must have gone on for hours, and Rafaela could only imagine what was discussed.

It wasn’t something she liked to think about, but Rafaela had to consider all possibilities. Epos was a threat, and the more she observed him, the worse he appeared. More so than his predecessors, Epos was ruthless. He truly didn’t care how his actions affected others, so long as he benefited. His greed was like an addiction to him, and while Rafaela had known that his business dealings were shady, she was appalled at the things he discussed privately.

With Epos’s thoughts in mind, Rafaela wondered what would become of her if he regained power, as he so clearly hoped to do. Would she be imprisoned once again?

What would become of those Epos opposed? What would happen to Corbin, to Sloane, to Patton, to Logan? Even if they returned on time, would Virgil and Roman be safe? The days ticked by and Rafaela still couldn’t figure out what the answer could be. 

And what about the countless people Rafaela did  _ not  _ know, the secret sorcerers and sympathizers, who she could not protect?


	21. Virgil

It was midmorning when the  _ Dark Thought  _ arrived at Lyrwrithe. Jessie, Roman, and Virgil were the only people onboard getting off, and they gathered up all belongings and dragons before leaving. The ship docked in the harbor, since this was the end of its route. It would be waiting for Roman and Virgil the next morning, to return to Chanidy City. The day was beautiful, warm enough to be pleasant, with only a few clouds in the deep blue sky.

The weather put everyone in good spirits. Jessie was happy to be home, with her family. Virgil was enchanted by the seemingly natural magic around her, and, like Roman, glad to have made it to Lyrwrithe on time. There was a bit of a walk to Jessie’s house, but it was on the border of the preserve, so no one complained.

Virgil wanted to get into Lyrwrithe the second she could, because carrying Gray was making her more and more anxious the longer she had it. She didn’t completely know how Rafaela’s trap worked, just that it used Virgil’s magical energy to create a shield. There was no way for her to recreate it, and if it broke she was screwed. The dragon had to be sedated twice yesterday, once during the night, and it was sleeping restlessly now— she’d given it another sleep spell before the boat docked.

Her main concern was that the dragon was becoming immune to her magic, building a resistance to the only thing keeping it contained. When she, Jessie, and Roman came to the house, Virgil asked if she could just go ahead without them.

“The longer the dragon is out here, the more I’m putting everyone here at risk,” Virgil said, looking from one to the other.

“Take care of it first,” Jessie said, eyeing the dragon carrier. “Then come back, you’ve got to meet everyone.” She pulled Virgil into a quick hug, then pointed her to the entrance of Lyrwrithe.

“I’ll come with you,” Roman said, handing the sleeping Laurus in their arms to Jessie.

“Roman, you don’t have to.” Virgil couldn’t figure out why, for the life of her, why Roman wanted to join.

“I want to. I want to make sure the dragon is put away. And I can play the royalty card if there’s any complications,” Roman said. They hadn’t missed how Virgil’s fingers were shaking as she held the dragon carrier, or the way her eyes flicked from one building to the other, like she was scared of the buildings themselves.

Of course, Roman wouldn’t admit that in a million years. Virgil fixed them with a look before saying, “Fine, come along. Just don’t get in the way.”

The pair walked to the gate, which didn’t look like a gate at first. It was just an empty gap in the trees, with a path running through it. Footprints covered the snow, so Virgil followed their tracks. When she reached the place where the trees of the preserve began, something stopped her.

It was an invisible barrier, keeping her out. Virgil set Gray down and tapped on it, wondering if you just had to knock. Growing frustrated after nothing happened, she shot a jet of magic at the barrier, wondering if she could weaken it somehow. She had to get inside, if she could just get  _ inside… _

A person appeared in front of her, though he was on the other side of the glass. “Excuse me, miss, but I need to know your purpose and intentions with Lyrwrithe Preserve of Magic before I can allow you to enter.”

Virgil pointed to the dragon carrier at her feet. “I’m here to um, put this dragon somewhere it can’t hurt anyone. It was in Straith, and it’s a piece of unhinged magic. I really need to get it someplace safe, if you could just let me in and tell me who to give it to, or where to put it, that would be  _ great _ .”

Roman opened their mouth, as if to support her case, but the gatekeeper had understood just fine. “Ah, I see. Come on in, we’ve been expecting you.”

The gate parted, although Virgil didn’t realize what was happening at first. What had at first appeared to be a trail of snow leading into the horizon was instead a small clearing with perhaps ten or so people chatting, sharing their morning coffee and laughing. The trees looked much more menacing than before, the tightly knit pines not letting any light beneath their boughs.

“Oh, is this the sorcerer from Straith?” one woman said, walking over to where Virgil was still standing outside the gate.

Taking a step into Lyrwrithe, Virgil shook hands with her. She introduced herself as Cassandra. “Do you know where I can put this, um, dragon?”

Cassandra laughed. “I’m the dragon expert here, so yes I can. I’ve actually been preparing a special enclosure, in case the dragon turns out to be a problem. All I’ve been reading about in the newspapers lately is your deal with Epos.” She nodded to Roman. “I’m on your side, by the way. Believe me, he’s unfit to rule.”

“So, um, where’s the enclosure?” Roman asked, looking around at the tight curve of trees.

“Right this way,” Cassandra said, parting the trees like they were a curtain. The illusion of a forest slipped away, to be replaced by something resembling, well, a forest fire.

As Virgil knew, dragons were highly prone to setting things on fire. But she didn’t expect everything to be so… on fire when she walked into where the dragons were kept. Multicolored flames covered the trees, stopped only by some invisible forcefield surrounding the area near the entrance.

Putting out the flames with a wave of her hand, Cassandra pointed at a patch of land, just to her left, that appeared entirely unbothered by the chaos surrounded it. Not a piece of dirt was touched, and a few small trees struggled through the tightly packed land. “That’s the enclosure for your dragon over there. Eventually, we’ll let it out to socialize with the other dragons, but that depends on how things go,” she said, studying the dragon inside its purple bubble.

Virgil noticed that, where Cassandra had extinguished the fire on the trees, there was no scorch mark, but the buds of new leaves growing from where fire once had. “Your sorcery is very impressive,” she said, wondering how one managed such a spell.

“Thank you very much, I’ve heard many good things about your magic as well,” Cassandra said, smiling. Her skin seemed to glow from within at the praise, and Virgil supposed that she had to be a light sorcerer who was extremely powerful. The light quickly faded from her features, however, and Cassandra returned to the task at hand. “Now, let’s deal with your dragon. Put it in the cage and undo the shrinkage spell, I can handle the trap.”

“Oh, thank you.” Virgil set the dragon’s cage down in the very center of the enclosure and stepped back so that she was. “I have no idea how it works, Rafaela made it for me.” She concentrated on undoing the spell on the dragon cage. After a few seconds of focus, the carrier, and the dragon returned to its original size.

It also woke up, and Virgil felt the fear and adrenaline racing through her body as she took a step back. Roman did the same, and they took her hand for support. Virgil knew that it was the absolute worst time to be thinking about this, but she would  _ really  _ like them to hold her hand more.

Unlike the hormone-addled teenagers, Cassandra wasn’t scared. She looked at the dragon with a cool gaze, like it was another specimen. Though she had to know the dragon’s reputation, there was no fear in her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, the purple bubble surrounding the dragon vanished, tiny pieces of metal falling to the ground around it. 

No matter how Cassandra felt, the dragon was terrifying. It was not only awake now, but enraged. The dragon glared at Virgil with its red eyes, and she held her breath. Then, it stepped back from its enclosure. Opening its mouth, the dragon blew a stream of blue flames at her, Roman, and Cassandra.

Virgil almost turned around and ran— she was out of practice with stopping the fire, it was angry enough to destroy this whole sanctuary— but an invisible forcefield kept the flames contained inside of its enclosure. She breathed a sigh of relief, staying put with Roman by her side.

“Does she have a name?” Cassandra asked Virgil, looking at the house-sized dragon that was still blowing fire everywhere.

“Um, Gray. That’s what I’ve been calling it,” Virgil said, answering before she thought about her words. “The dragon’s a girl?”

Cassandra smiled. “She was created by a female sorcerer, no? As an expression of anger, I’m guessing. Once she calms down, I’ll know for sure, but usually that logic holds up.”

“So, Gray won’t be able to escape from here?” Roman asked.

“No, not if I have anything to say about it.” The dragon had finally stopped breathing fire, and Cassandra reached a hand through the invisible barrier to stroke its snout.


	22. Virgil

The night after they visited Lyrwrithe, Virgil’s exhaustion caught up to her. Since she’d been in Straith— barely a week ago— everything had been about the dragon, getting rid of the dragon, capturing the dragon. Even the days on the boat didn’t give her much rest, the tossing of the waves only reminded her that the dragon could break free at any moment.

Now she slept well, finally, even with Roman in the next room. Since their only concern was getting back to Straith in time, they could both rest easy. Roman would take back the throne, Epos would be banished once again, and Virgil would make sure that Rafaela didn’t have any other pieces of her past that could create havoc.

Virgil’s relief was short-lived. When she woke up in the morning, her dreams were fading fast, but one thing was clear about them: Roman. Her friend, her crush, and the person who would be king the second they sailed into Straith. For the next two days, they got to be just a teenager. Kings don’t have time for romance and first loves, but they wouldn’t be a king until the end of the week.

It was now or never, which made Virgil even more nervous at the prospect of telling them her feelings. Before, after their night in Chanidy City, she’d thought her nerves wouldn’t get any worse. The prospect of actually telling them though, was enough to send her anxiety through the roof. The little logical voice in the back of her head told her that she should ask for advice, but from who?

The only person she would talk to about this was Roman. So, as she said goodbye to Jessie’s family in the morning— they were really quite nice, if only she’d gotten to spend more time with them—Virgil decided that today was the day. With Laurus wrapped around her shoulders, she once again boarded the Dark Thought and told herself that she was not going to chicken out of this.

Roman sat next to her once everything was all set with their luggage.

This was the moment, she had to do it now.

Now.

Now.

“Roman, I need to tell you something.”

Their expression immediately shifted to concern, and Virgil’s heart jumped in her throat. “Is it serious?” they asked.

“I mean… it’s not the most serious thing, it’s kind of dumb actually. It really depends on how you take it, honestly. There’s not really a set level of seriousness for something like this, but it matters to me, I guess. I don’t know if it matters to you yet, it could or it—”

“Virgil, what is it?” Roman looked more confused now, and Virgil felt her heart twist.

“I, um, I like you. I have a crush on you. Romantic feelings. Not usually my department, but…I thought you should know.” She looked down at her lap, not wanting to make eye contact. Really, could she have been any more nervous about that? Didn’t matter, it was done.

There was a silence. Not a long one, just long enough for Virgil to start to doubt herself.

“To tell you the truth, I really don’t know what to say,” Roman said, looking at Virgil. She did not look back at them. “You’re my friend, and I know that I feel a lot for you, because you’re also my best friend, but I don’t know. I don’t know if I feel the same way.”

Lifting her eyes up to meet Roman’s, Virgil said, “You can take some time to figure it out, if you need to. I don’t want to rush you, I’m sorry I just kind of sprung this on you. It’s—it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I can handle my feelings, I’m a sorcerer. You’re not going to break my heart or anything.”

Even as she said it, Virgil knew the words were a lie. So did Roman. “I’m going to go up on deck and get some air,” they said, leaving as quickly as their legs could carry them. Virgil watched them go, petting Laurus’s head so that she could have something to comfort her.


	23. Roman

The next day, they still hadn’t talked to Virgil. When they’d first gone up on the ship’s deck, Roman gave the matter a lot of thought. In fact, altogether too much thought. So much thought that by the time they’d arrived at their conclusion, they were bogged down by the implications of it.

How were they supposed to date  _ anyone  _ without it leaking to the press? Roman didn’t want to put Virgil under that much scrutiny. The papers already referred to her as their “girlfriend,” it would only get worse. Besides, then people would think they were straight, and that was the last thing Roman wanted. Not to mention that Epos was still going to be there, and if he figured out that there was something going on between Roman and Virgil, it wasn’t going to be pretty. Plus, how the hell did romance work anyways? It wasn’t like their parents had set a good example, the closest thing Roman had to for a role model relationship was Corbin and Sloane.

You couldn’t have romance without  _ Roman _ , but they weren’t sure if the dramatic gestures of romance novels would work. Virgil was the sort of person who got overwhelmed easily, she preferred the calm and subdued—that was why Roman liked her so much—so a fireworks display wasn’t a good idea. Where would they even get the fireworks from, anyways?

Roman didn’t want to announce their feelings in front of the whole ship crew and Jessie, and there was no such thing as privacy on the ship. The captain kept asking after Virgil whenever he talked to Roman, and Jessie had a knowing look in her eye every time she interacted with them. It was, quite frankly, annoying.

So they decided to wait until Chanidy City, where there would be some goddamn privacy. This was absolutely terrifying and Roman hated everything about the idea of confessing their feelings on a boat on the way back to their father except that they might be rewarded with a kiss.

***

Roman was silently grateful that they’d packed light, because that meant that everyone who was not Virgil left them alone pretty quickly as they loaded their luggage onto the ship. The small motorboat was, according to Jessie, a “gift from Canea,” which made Roman even more certain that she’d just stolen one of the navy boats and gave it to them.

Some sort of sorcery kept it heated (even though it was freezing out), and it sailed using that same sorcery. When they boarded, the voice of a tired old sorcerer asked where they wanted to go. Virgil answered “Archdale, Straith,” and the boat was moving. The two sat at the stern of the boat, looking at the swaths of river they were leaving behind.

They hadn’t said a word to Virgil since she confessed, and the day or so was probably the longest time that Roman and Virgil had been in each other’s company without speaking to each other. It was time to clear the air, Roman thought.

“You excited to put Epos away, once and for all?” they asked.

Virgil smiled. “If it’s half as satisfying as the last time we did it, I’m game.”

“Before we save our country again, I want to tell you something.” Roman could feel their heart dancing in their chest, and they knew that this was something special. Something good, happy, the type of moment they would reminisce over for years to come.

Looking nervous, Virgil asked, “What do you want to tell me?”

“I like you, like a lot. I’m kind of amazed it took me so long to realize it, because when I look back I’ve been in love with you since the day we met,” Roman said, taking both of Virgil’s hands in their own. They leaned forwards. “And I’m pretty sure this thing is mutual, so I was wondering if I could—”

Virgil shut them up with a kiss, and for once, they weren’t looking back at the past or onward at the future, but living in this moment. Her hand was at the back of their neck, pulling Roman closer and closer, the other one loose around their waist. Roman didn’t know what to do, to think, or even how to move, because this was amazing. Just amazing, and they didn’t ever want it to end.

They broke apart, and Roman stared into Virgil’s eyes, completely lovestruck.

“I can’t believe we just did that.”

“It was kind of awesome, don’t you think?”

“Yeah…I can’t argue with you there.”

“Can we do that again?”

Virgil pulled Roman to her so that their face was barely an inch from hers. “Do you even have to ask?”

The second kiss was, perhaps, even sweeter than the first. Virgil insisted that they both move away from the back of the boat, because one or both of them was going to end up falling in the water at this rate. Roman grumbled, but they knew she had a point, and let her lead them by the hand to the seats in the cockpit. Really, now that Gray was gone and the danger was averted, there was no need to endanger themselves.

While Laurus was very happy to watch the whole thing unfold ( _ Finally _ , he thought,  _ I can’t believe it took this long _ ) he did not like being put in with the luggage so that Virgil could score a date. It was a shame that Laurus hadn’t pushed them together earlier, but better late than never.


	24. Roman

Straith’s castle was a familiar sight. The building had been Roman’s home for as long as they could remember. For Virgil, the silhouette of the castle was the backdrop of her life, until she met Roman. The new couple was happy to be home, happy to repeat the ending of their last adventure, and live, as everyone wants to, happily ever after.

This isn’t a fairytale. And even the things most familiar to someone can be deceiving. This was the case for Archdale Castle. It grew closer, and though Virgil and Roman’s worries fell away, they would be soon to jump back. The twilight covering the city gave the illusion of light, but many things were concealed in its darkness.

As if it had done so a thousand times before, the boat docked itself by the side of the river. Roman and Virgil stood up, hands still entwined, and looked at their hometown with the fresh eyes of new lovers.

“I got the bags,” Virgil told Roman, levitating the luggage and one very disgruntled Laurus out of the ship’s hold. Encircled by her purple magic, it all hovered over to the riverbank, to sit in a disorganized pile.

Roman squeezed Virgil’s hand. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” she said, squeezing back.

She told the boat to return to Chanidy City, Canea. Virgil and Roman walked away from the river and towards the castle. “Are you ready?” Virgil asked. They gathered up the bags, Laurus trailing behind them as they walked.

“Yeah, I think. I already did it once,” they said, voice cracking on the last syllable. It was a small betrayal of their voice, to telegraph their anxiety, but it couldn’t be helped. Hand in hand with Virgil, they headed for the castle.

The streets were unusually quiet, not a soul out and about, even though it was still light out. Only six o’clock, the shops would normally still be open. Virgil had a strange sense that she was being followed, but nothing greeted her but shadows when she turned her head. She decided to distract herself from the sensation, making light conversation with Roman to loosen the knot in her stomach.

Stars were starting to come out, but the pair did not look up. They were getting closer and closer to the castle. It was time to focus, for Virgil and Roman both. Reflexively, Virgil checked the streets for blue flames, but she remembered that Gray was safe in Lyrwrithe. The creature could no longer cause harm to Straith.

“What was that?” Roman turned around abruptly, eyes searching wildly for  _ something _ .

“Must just be a shadow. Maybe a bird or something,” Virgil said, shrugging. They kept walking, holding her hand. It was pleasant, this alone time in a place so dear to them. Everything was softer in the evening light, and they walked fast enough to defeat the cold. Their coats accomplished the rest. At the same time, Virgil and Roman wondered about their future together. There were memories to be made, after all; this was only the beginning of what both hoped would be a good story.

The pavement moved, a rumbling sound like no other shaking the couple, making them stop. For a terrifying second, Virgil thought the dragon was back. Laurus scampered up onto Virgil’s shoulder, and she turned around with Roman. Their hands stayed together. There were people approaching.

Not just any people, Roman realized with horror. Soldiers. Soldiers of their army, running, the force of their steps making the cobblestones vibrate. There was shouting, and they couldn’t make out what they were saying until the soldiers were very close. “It’s the prince,” they kept saying, shouting, over and over. There was something else too, but it was garbled.

Virgil was terrified. The soldiers came closer, encircling, capturing her and Roman. She didn’t know what was happening, not until one man brought out a pair of handcuffs that were shining white. At the sight of the cuffs, Laurus jumped off her shoulder. Screaming, she fired magic at them, all of them. A stunning spell, simple self-defense.

Nothing happened, and her gaze flicked to the little yellow pendants on every uniform, how they absorbed the magic she shot at them. Virgil remembered what Roman had told her before they left for Canea, and everything started to make sense. She looked over at them—Roman had already figured it out. All of their bags were ripped away, and the red scarf was in one of them.

There was no point in fighting—she was surrounded, the only solution in her mind was to rip the stones out of the road under her feet and beat the soldiers to death, a thought that scared her— so she didn’t put up a fight as the white cuffs snapped around her wrists. Virgil kept her hand in Roman’s until she felt the magic ripped out of her body by the Solus stone. She couldn’t stop shaking. She hoped Laurus was somewhere safe.

Roman couldn’t fight against the soldiers, not when they were shocked by the betrayal. They had thought, naively assumed that they’d swayed most people in the government to their side. After months of negotiations and small talk with enemies, things should have changed. Roman should have known. Even their best conversation skills couldn’t undo Epos’s corruption.

They were dragged to the castle, full of fear about the future. Next to them, Virgil was struggling to keep herself from crying, the Solus stone tearing her magic away. Roman wanted to reach out, comfort her somehow, but plain metal cuffs were on their wrists. They could have sworn the key had been thrown in the gutter, because escape was impossible.

The castle loomed over them, and Roman wished their mother was still alive. She was the only person they could imagine stopping Epos now.


	25. Rafaela

It was her cell. She would have known it blindfolded, drugged, and mind-wiped. You didn’t forget a century easily. The walls were pale white, more Solus stone. Rafaela hadn’t missed it. She hated it.

They hadn’t given her the chance to defend herself, capturing her while she slept in her bedroom. Everyone else was taken away too. Logan, Patton, Corbin, Sloane, and even Camden. Those who had sided with Roman to the end, past Epos’s threats. There were more, more names she couldn’t remember.

Right now, she was miserable. Here, once again. Trapped, with no piece of magic to ensure she would get out. If she got out, it would be so that she could be killed. This had all gone so, so wrong. At least Roman and Virgil weren’t captured, she thought. At least they had a chance to defeat Epos now, surely they would have heard.

She couldn’t imagine a world where both of them wouldn’t fight for what was right. Help had to be coming. Virgil  _ had  _ to be coming.

Virgil was shoved into the cell next to Rafaela. Her hands were bound with Solus stone, just like Rafaela’s. Tears already streaked her cheeks, and her hands shook.

“It hurts, Raf. It hurts so much,” Virgil whimpered, slumping against the cell wall.

“I know, I know.” Rafaela remembered how much the stone hurt when you weren’t expecting it, the way the betrayal stung. She wrapped the girl in an embrace, stroking her hair. While she wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, Rafaela wouldn’t do that to Virgil. Lies were terrible things.

They stayed there, and Rafaela didn’t think about anything other than the sobbing girl in her arms. At least she wasn’t alone this time. She had another sorcerer, someone to commiserate with. But, oh, Virgil was so  _ young _ .

Rafaela didn’t lift her head when Logan and Patton were taken into their cell. When the metal door banged shut behind Roman, she didn’t look up. Not them too. This was awful, worse than anything Rafaela had endured in these cells before.

She and Virgil would remain, tethered to the thing killing them while it kept them alive. Everyone else… they would die. One way or another. Rafaela knew what Epos was like. This wouldn’t end happily. Not when their best shot at getting out was that they would be executed publicly.

There was a knock on the cell door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a sequel coming for you next year, don't worry! in the meantime,,,,,leave a comment with your reaction

**Author's Note:**

> hey, i hope you're enjoying my story! if so, leave a comment or kudos, they really make my day. happy reading 💙


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